Beyond This Illusion
by Vampirette Knight
Summary: Post-canon. It isn't always about helping someone to love you, but about helping someone who you love. Sasusaku.
1. p r o l o g u e

**Disclaimer - I do not Own Naruto.**

**A/N - For once, I'm actually doing a fic that goes with the actual storyline. From Chapter 499 onwards. So if you don't want spoilers, go back to my profile and read a different story :D**

**PS - Not everything is strictly from the manga.**

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**Beyond This Illusion**

_It is our imagination that creates the world. But sometimes, we get ahead of ourselves. _

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**.::Prologue::.**

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Sasuke's return to Konoha didn't bring Sakura the happiness that she had expected. And why would it anyway? It wasn't like she meant anything to him. She had tried to stop him in the beginning – and failed. Was left with nothing but a 'thank you' and a cold stone bench to sleep on.

For the first couple months of his absence, she'd imagine Sasuke coming home, and sweeping her into his arms and kissing her. She'd imagined that the thank you was some sort of romantic prelude to what would happen. That it meant he'd come back to her someday, and they could be happy. That he understood her feelings towards him and one day, when the time was right, he could finally return them. She thought that he may have had some noble excuse to why he didn't stay. She'd imagine him saying:

_I've loved you all along. But I couldn't risk your safety. That's why I had to leave. But I'm home now, and I love you._

But no, this wasn't a fairytale. This was reality.

Sakura wasn't even sure that Sasuke had the capacity to love anymore. Being so far strayed away from it for so long, she wondered if he even had the word in his vocabulary.

And when he first came back, Sakura was angry. She was supposed to be the one to bring him back. She had promised Naruto that they would bring him back _together. _It really mattered. Because all of Sakura's hard work, everything she'd done for the past few years had been building up to this very moment. The moment when she would go with Naruto to find Sasuke. Sasuke would realize that she was strong now. She wasn't _weak _or _pathetic _anymore.

As much as she had tried to convince herself that no, she no longer valued Sasuke's opinion. She didn't care what he thought. Didn't care if he thought she was weak, she knew that she did. She knew that proving to him that she was worthy and strong enough to bring him back, she knew it would impress him. But all of that was taken away from her when she saw Naruto and Sasuke emerge into the hospital together. They both supported each other's weight and they both looked exhausted. Naruto had that damned _stupid _grin on his face as if to say 'I told you so'.

And all Sakura could do at the time was stand there, stupefied. Stand there and wonder, _When did Naruto see Sasuke? When was he even sent on a mission to retrieve Sasuke? And why didn't he take me with him?_

But her anger quickly dissolved as she assessed the two shinobi, realizing they were both in critical condition. She wheeled them off to a private room, refusing help from anyone else because these were her boys. Only she could heal them.

And for hours she sat, healing the both of them. Exhausting herself. She didn't stop until both of them were stabilized, and even then she didn't leave their presence.

Sasuke was asleep most of the time. He didn't say a word to her, drifting in and out of consciousness. She turned to look at Naruto, sweaty and tired.

"Why?" she asked simply. And in that one word Naruto understood what she was asking.

He looked away, his fingers fumbling with the hospital bed sheet. "It wasn't planned." He mumbled. "I was on a different mission. I was fighting off the Kyuubi. Because, well you know. It wanted to overpower me. And I, I saw my mom Sakura," he looked up to meet Sakura's gaze, a small broken smile on his face, "I saw her. She's so pretty. And we talked. And then Sasuke was there."

Sakura cut him off. "But we made a _promise." _She insisted. "We were supposed to save him together. And after I found him with Karin, you came. And then you fought. Because it was always about the both of you, wasn't it? I was always just the awkward third wheel. Nothing special about me. I didn't have Sharingan, or s curse seal or the Kyuubi's powers. I only had myself. And I worked damned hard for almost three years just to try and catch up to the two of you." She shook her head, her fists clenching.

"Sakura-chan, you're strong." Naruto said, furrowing his eyebrows. "Everyone knows it. You kick my butt all the time."

"You go easy on me." she murmured. But Naruto was already shaking his head.

"You killed Sasori. An Akatsuki member. Sakura-chan, trust me, your hard work wasn't for nothing. And I intended on you being there when I brought Sasuke back. But he was going to destroy Konoha. I had to stop him. I had to tell him what Madara told me. He had to know that he was being manipulated. Of course, with that bastard's thick head, it took a little fighting before I could convince him, but it's okay now. We'll be alright. We killed Madara, well Sasuke did mostly. I focused on Kabuto, or whatever he is now. He's gone too. For good. The third war doesn't have to happen. We ended it."

Sakura bit her lip. "Why did Sasuke believe you? Didn't he find out about…" she trailed off, remembering how Tsunade had reluctantly told Naruto and herself the truth about the Uchiha clan and Itachi.

"Yes, and he also found out that Madara was up to no good. He found out that he was being used. And he had already completed his goal. He was confident that he could destroy Konoha on his own, so I convinced him to kill Madara. He had already dealt with Danzou – thank Kami – and the only problem left was Madara."

Sakura nodded, standing up. She placed a hand on Naruto's cheek. "You did good, Naruto. Now rest." And she bent down to kiss Naruto's forehead.

They hadn't spoken about her professing her love for him yet. She knew she was wrong to lie to him, but he wouldn't have been able to deal with them killing Sasuke. She had to be the one to do it.

Sakura smiled wryly and thought to herself, _A few days ago I was planning to kill him, and now I spend all my chakra healing him. _She shook her head.

Sasuke's punishment wasn't exactly set in stone yet. Konoha was a mess, and everything was hodgepodge. There was no time for the Council to sit and decide what to do with him. For the time being, all that mattered was that he no longer wanted to destroy Konoha. Which was good, because everyone knew he had the capability of doing it. He was one of the most powerful shinobi, and Konoha could use all the allies at the time. Also, Tsunade was still recovering from her coma, and was unable to make any decisions.

Everything was a mess.

There had been a report of seeing Akatsuki in the area, although without Pein Tsunade didn't know what the point was. Nevertheless, it was never a problem to have protection.

So for the time being, Sasuke was off the hook.

It's funny, Sakura thinks to herself. That Sasuke will always get his way. No matter what. He has no consequences for what he does. And he'll never learn from his mistakes.

Not that she ever wanted him to get hurt, or really pay for what he'd done. She just wanted him to realize what he put Naruto and herself through. So that maybe he could _change._ But that would be asking too much.

So she wasn't all that surprised when Sasuke came back, he avoided her like the plague.

After all, that's how it had been before he left anyway. Why would it change now? Naruto was the one he spent time with. The one he cared about. Maybe he felt as though he had to protect Sakura in the past, but that was all. It was because she was his teammate and nothing else.

Still, she was upset. Almost three years of waiting for this? This anti-climactic ending. It couldn't just be over. Everything that she had worked so hard for – to bring Sasuke back. And now that he _was _back, now what?

She felt lost.

Everything goes back to normal. Or what was normal back when they were twelve. Sasuke's punishment will be tolerable, Sakura thinks. But that was only because he switched his allegiances at the last second. He realized what Madara was planning, somehow came to his senses, and realized that he was being manipulated. He killed Madara. Now he really was the last Uchiha.

But he wasn't glorious. He wasn't a prodigy anymore. His eyes were slowly deteriorating. Slowly failing him.

"Sakura." He had greeted one morning, before training. Sakura blinked, surprised that he had spoken to her. They hadn't exchanged a word since she healed him when he first returned – battered and broken. _He's still battered and broken. _Sakura mused to herself. _And I can't fix him._

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun." Sakura replied. Her voice was steady and calm. She didn't obsess over him, and Sasuke was grateful for that. She had changed, he thought. He wasn't sure what to make of this new Sakura, but he was still wary of her. She still used the affectionate suffix from their childhood. She herself didn't even know why she still called him Sasuke-kun. Maybe it was to remind herself that yes, this was her Sasuke-kun from back when they were twelve. He _still _is the same Sasuke-kun. But she knew better.

"I have…a favor to ask." He said, standing next to her against the bridge.

She made no movement, but her eyes glanced towards him. "Really now?" her tone held curiosity. What could the almighty Uchiha want with her?

Sasuke ignored her clipped tone. "As you know, my eyes are getting progressively worse." He began. She nodded, yes she did know that. She had checked his eyes out and told him herself.

"Well, I know that you've looked at Kakashi's Sharingan before. I know that you know how it works." It wasn't like Sasuke to beat around the bush. But then again, it wasn't like Sasuke to ask for something. She waited for him to finish. Where was Naruto?

"I want you to study my eyes."

Ah, there it was.

Sakura looked him square in the eye – she wasn't afraid of him anymore. She wasn't afraid of what he thought about her. Hell, why _should _she care? He made it painfully obvious that he didn't.

"You know what?" Sakura asked casually, "it's really amusing how you can just expect people to do whatever you want. It's funny how you have the balls to ask me for a favor when it's convenient for _you _but when it comes to casual greetings it's as if I'm invisible."

Sasuke shifted impatiently. "There's no one else that knows the Sharingan like you."

She shook her head and sighed. "I can't fix your eyes, Sasuke." Her tone was less harsh than before. But still not the soft tone that she used with Naruto, Sasuke noted. "But I can tell you that the more you use the Sharingan – Mangekyou specifically – the quicker your blindness will happen."

"You can delay the process." He affirmed with certainty.

"What's in it for me?" she pondered vaguely, taking out a kunai and spinning it around idly.

He didn't like this new Sakura.

"You can't get something without giving something, you know." Sakura declared, when she realized he wasn't going to reply.

"What do you want?" he asked, growing annoyed.

"Nothing that you can give." was her mumbled reply.

Their conversation had been interrupted by a rather obnoxious Naruto declaring that training was cancelled, due to Kakashi's absence. And that yes, he would treat them all to Ichiraku.

Ichiraku was awkward. But Naruto filled the silence with his loud chatter. Hardly recognizable, being that ramen was stuffed in his mouth while he spoke. But Sakura managed to make out a few words.

Something about "Old hag…mission…Sasuke…ask…Sakura…Sai…" and then it was muffled gibberish.

She could feel Sasuke's on her as she ate, and turned so that her back was facing him.

"Well." She announced suddenly, her ramen not finished. "I have to get back to the hospital. I'll see you later."

"But you didn't even finish your ramen!" Naruto exclaimed, appalled.

"But you'll finish it for me." Sakura stated softly. Naruto grinned and pushed Sakura's bowl over to himself, muttering a 'suit yourself' under his breath. And then he dug in. At least Naruto's love for ramen was one thing she could depend on. One thing that would never change.

"I'll walk you." Sasuke said, getting up.

"I'm fine, thanks." Was Sakura's reply. "I'm not a little girl anymore."

But Sasuke had already made up his mind. "I'll walk you."

Sigh.

Walking to the hospital – Sakura decided – was more awkward than Ichiraku. Now she didn't even have Naruto to help. She glanced at Sasuke, whose stride was long and confident, his hands shoved in his pockets. He looked aloof. Sakura vaguely wondered if she could pull that look off.

"You never answered me." Sasuke said, finally breaking the silence.

Sakura shrugged. "I wasn't aware you asked a question."

Even she knew that beating around the bush wasn't going to win points here, but she didn't _want _to answer him. Because she knew she'd say yes. And she didn't want him to get everything damned thing that he wanted because he didn't deserve that after what he'd done.

"Sakura." he warned; his voice low.

She sighed again. "Fine, fine. I'll take a look at your eyes."

But at the time, Sakura didn't realize that she was making a big mistake. Didn't realize that allowing Sasuke this one thing would only open up a door for her to ask for more. Because he was Sasuke and Sasuke was never _ever _satisfied.

Maybe if she did know, she would have refused.

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**A/N - I've been coming up with a lot of stories lately. Haha writing spurt. Reviews are loved and appreciated! **


	2. o n e

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N - Did you see Sasuke and Naruto as babies? Aw, so adorable. **

*** Contains Spoilers ***

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Beyond This Illusion

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**.::Chapter One::.**

_"The person that you truly love, and the one that truly loves you, are never the same person."_

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It was precisely three months after Sasuke's return when he had asked her to heal his eyes. And she had. She looked at his eyes every day for a week, studying, observing.

Noting the chakra patterns and how he was becoming more sensitive to the light.

After she examined him, he would lay down with his head in her lap and she would repair the damage done. Fix severed cells, repair his deteriorating cornea.

No words would be exchanged between the two of them, other than a quiet and reluctant 'thank you' when she was finished. The silence wasn't uncomfortable. In fact, Sakura preferred it. Because with Sasuke, anything other than silence meant trouble.

So that's why Sakura was surprised that he spoke to her during one particular healing session.

"I told you that you could fix my eyes." He stated cockily.

"Your vision is improving." She noted, mumbling to herself, and then scribbling something down on a notepad.

"Yes."

"That's good then."

His head was still resting in her lap, his eyes closed. She sensed that his chakra was relaxed, he was relaxed. At least he trusted her enough to let his guard down around her. That said something. She could hear his steady and even breathing as she worked. He opened his eyes to stare at her.

"What?" she murmured, feeling self conscious.

"Sakura. There's something I need to ask you." His tone was serious, yet calm.

She rolled her eyes. "Why so talkative today?"

She wouldn't admit that she enjoyed it.

Then Sasuke did something very un Sasuke-like, and rest his hand atop hers briefly, before taking her hands away from his temples. He dropped his hands, resting them on his chest and sighed.

"We're seventeen."

Sakura nodded.

"I need to restore my clan." Were his blunt words. Sakura's heart raced in her chest. What in the hell was he alluding to? She hoped he didn't think she would…

"So?" she looked away. She knew what he was about to say.

"I need you to help me find someone to restore it with."

Oh.

Wow.

She suddenly felt like an idiot.

Why would Sasuke pick her to restore his clan with anyway? It's not like he's spared her any pleasantries before, so why would he now? She bit her lip,

"What makes you think I want to spend my time helping you look for a girlfriend? You're not exactly boyfriend material."

He sat up and looked at her. "Because you're my teammate."

Then more quietly, "My friend."

It was ironic how just by a few words, Sasuke could make her heart flutter. Could persuade her to do anything he wanted her to do. It was unfair, if anyone asked her. And since when was she his friend anyway? He sure never acted as if she was his friend. She vocalized her thoughts.

"Sakura," he sighed, as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. And in that sigh Sakura found his answer. She knew him too well.

She knew he wouldn't act like Naruto, not outwardly. But he cared for her and valued her as a person. He just went about things differently.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that. Look, I'm glad you're back. But since you've been back the only thing you came to me for was a favor. Friendship doesn't work like that. Yes, you go to your friends when you need something. But that's not the only time you do. And if they ever need anything, you have their back."

He didn't say anything.

"Alright. I'll…help you. But Sasuke, this won't be easy. You have to find a girl and win her over. Well, that part won't be hard. But you can't just treat her like crap. You have to care for her and love her. If you want to start a family with her, then it's only fair that you love her. Otherwise, you'll just be using her."

Sasuke examined me carefully for a moment. "I don't love."

Sakura bit her lip. She knew this. She didn't expect him to jump out and fall in love with a girl. Not after all he's been through. "Then find a girl that you care about."

Sasuke didn't blink. "I care about you."

It was amazing, Sakura thought, how Sasuke could just keep staring at her as if this whole thing was casual. How he could remain so emotionless.

"Yes, that's all fine and dandy but –"

Sasuke cut her off.

"I trust you."

"Sasuke, no."

He tilted his head. "Why not?"

_Because if I do this for you, I'm afraid I'll fall in love with you again. And I know you won't love me back. _

"Because I'm not your personal baby maker." She crossed her arms.

_And because I'm still a virgin and I'm scared to have sex with you._

Sasuke stood up, and was about to leave when –

"_Fine. _I'll think about it. But, but I don't want…"

"Sakura I wouldn't expect you to just bear my children. I would go through the whole process. I'd marry you."

She looked away. But it wouldn't mean anything.

"You realize that if I do this for you, I'll never fall in love? I'll never be able to be with someone and be happy."

Sasuke knelt down and tilted her chin with his thumb. "I can't love you," He admitted. "But I can make you happy."

He stood again, and looked down at her. "I understand if you refuse." And he did. He wouldn't deny her the happily ever after she dreamed of. But he also thought that it was unrealistic of her to have such expectations of a boyfriend. Love was corrupted anyway. It was never like it was portrayed to be in the books. And as a ninja, she should know that their life was more about practicality.

And then he had left her, without another word. Left her to ponder her thoughts.

* * *

It would be days before she saw him again. And when she did, she still didn't have an answer. Part of her knew that she could never refuse Sasuke, and the other part wanted to refuse him because he didn't deserve all that she did for him. And she did deserve to be happy. She doubted Sasuke could make her happy, when he made her miserable in the past.

If he thought buying her stuff would make her happy, then he had another thing coming.

They met at the training grounds, just like a normal day. Naruto was there, along with Sasuke. They were already sparring when Sakura arrived. So, with nothing to do, Sakura plopped on the ground and watched them.

"Hey," she warned as Sasuke breathed fire at Naruto, "no burning. I don't feel like healing that right now."

Sasuke met her gaze and rolled his eyes.

"You're not fighting to the death." She reminded them.

After a few hours of them sparring – and Kakashi _still _not being there, Sakura began cutting herself with the kunai, and then healing her wounds just to keep herself busy.

Finally, Naruto and Sasuke called it quits.

"Tie?" Sakura pondered as the two of them nodded. That was typical. They almost always tied.

They both plopped down next to Sakura, allowing her to heal them. "It's so not fair." She commented, while popping Naruto's dislocated shoulder back into place. "I never get to spar most of the time. Kakashi never shows!"

"You can always spar with me, Sakura-chan." Naruto supplied.

She didn't reply. After a few moments – and a lot of chakra wasted – the three of them were lying down in the grass.

Sakura turned to Sasuke for a moment. "I'll do it." She said casually.

Sasuke looked at her for a moment, measuring her gaze.

Then he turned away from her and muttered, "Thank you."

Naruto could only blink and stare, wondering what she meant. But before he could ask, Sakura stood up and brushed herself off. She hoped Sasuke didn't really want to rush things because she wasn't ready to have sex yet. She mentally flinched. She was going to have to have sex with Sasuke. He was going to see her _naked. _She blushed at the thought.

Then, looking down at Sasuke she asked,

"Sasuke could I talk to you in private?"

For a moment, nothing moved.

Then he stood up silently, shoving his hands in his pockets and walked over to a tree waiting for her to follow. Sakura smiled sheepishly at Naruto and rubbed the back of her head.

"Sorry, Naruto. It's just something important. We'll be right back." She said apologetically.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as Sakura ran after Sasuke. _What's going on with those two?_

Sasuke wasn't looking at her as she ran up to him.

Sakura took a deep breath before she spoke. "When were you planning on…?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I'm supposed to court you, right?"

Sakura giggled. _How old fashioned. _She only wished that he really liked her. Sasuke – seemingly offended by her laughter – glared.

"What?" he hissed.

Sakura waved her hand. "Oh nothing. It's just, that sounds so old. No one even calls it _courting _anymore. People just date." She shrugged, feeling a tad uncomfortable.

"Then we will date."

Sakura crossed her arms, looking away. "You make it sound so business-like." She sighed.

"What do you expect?"

Sakura finally met his gaze, studying his eyes. "From you? Nothing."

Sasuke scowled.

"Don't take it personally, but I think Sai could fake better emotions than you. How do you expect to pull off dating me when you can't even smile for me?"

"Why the hell would I smile?"

He was so hopeless.

"Because, _Sasuke-kun, _that's what couples do. They're supposed to love each other and make each other happy. But you can't even make yourself happy. So how do you expect to make me happy?"

"Look, Sakura, if you don't want to do it –" He said through clenched teeth.

"No, it's not that. I'm sorry, I'm just a bit bitter. Just, never mind."

Sasuke was silent.

"C'mon Sasuke-kun, let's go." Sakura said, turning on her heels and walking back to Naruto. Sasuke grabbed her wrist, startling her. Looking over her shoulder, Sakura tilted her head questioningly.

But then Sasuke slid his hand from his wrist, into her hand. Sakura smiled, squeezing his hand gently, before walking back to Naruto.

* * *

A month went by.

Sakura had a feeling that Sasuke was regretting choosing her. He knew that he couldn't give her what she wanted, yet he was being selfish and taking what _he _wanted. Even still, he had too much pride to do anything about it.

Sakura didn't know what to expect really with Sasuke. But she came to find that Sasuke was one hell of an actor. He was good about acting like a good boyfriend in public. And surprisingly, when they told everyone they were going out, no one was surprised. It was almost as if people were _expecting _it to happen. Which worried Sakura a little. Because then, that meant people wouldn't be surprised if they got married soon. Which meant they wouldn't be surprised if they had kids soon…

Sakura didn't want to rush that.

Yesterday, Sasuke had asked – or demanded rather – for her to move in with him.

"It would have happened eventually anyway." Was his reasoning. Sakura had sighed and agreed.

He was draining everything out of her, really. With one demand after the next. But she couldn't refuse him. Just like she couldn't refuse Naruto. But she knew Naruto would never ask this of her. That was the difference between him and Sasuke.

So being that they _were _ninjas, it didn't take them long to move Sakura's stuff into Sasuke's house. She had always thought that he still lived in the Uchiha manor, but then again, why would he surround himself with those memories?

His house was small, but conventional. It was very tidy, but not homey at all. It felt cold and distant, just like him. Too practical. Sasuke didn't own anything he didn't need.

Sakura was nervous though. Because they didn't bring her bed. Which meant that she was expected to sleep in bed with Sasuke. Everything was happening so fast. He said he would go through the whole process, but to her it seemed as though he was _rushing _through the entire purpose. And it was all happening extremely fast. Too fast for her liking.

They were in the kitchen, eating lunch. Sasuke was eating a tomato sandwich, and Sakura had some onigiri.

Everything was silent, as per usual. But Sakura had long since grown accustomed to Sasuke's silence; it no longer bothered her as much as it used to. It was just something she'd have to deal with. Possibly forever. Sakura vaguely imagined long conversations in the future, where she'd be the only one talking. She shuttered.

Sakura played with the rim of her tea cup, fidgeting. Things were always awkward with Sasuke. She had to try twice as hard to make up for his blatant _lack _of trying.

She wondered if he knew that her birthday was in just two days.

She would be eighteen. A legal adult. Someone perfectly capable of – dare she say it – getting married and having children. Sometimes she forgot that she was older than Sasuke. Especially when he seemed so mature all the time.

"What would you like to do today?" she asked casually, trying to stir up a conversation.

She felt awkward in this house. This wasn't her _home. _

Sasuke shrugged, finishing his tomato.

Sakura leaned forward curiously. "Do you honestly do this all the time?"

He looked mildly puzzled.

"Be silent, do nothing but train. Is that really all there is to you?"

She wasn't really sure how he'd react, but she figured he would be offended.

"What do you expect me to do?" he snapped.

"Oh I don't know, have fun maybe?" was her curt reply.

Sasuke blinked. "Fun." He repeated slowly.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah."

"What's fun?"

Sakura suddenly had the urge to break out and sing the FUN song from SpongeBob, but she refrained herself.

"Well, it's when you're happy." She decided.

Sasuke looked out the window. He didn't need to tell her that he was unhappy. She already knew as much.

Sakura bit her lip, unsure of what to do. Then she stood, smiling. She had an idea.

"C'mon, Sasuke-kun. Let's go have some fun."

Sasuke arched his eyebrow at her, looking up at her blankly.

Sakura took his hand gently, standing him up.

"We're going to go for a walk." She declared, dragging him out of the house.

Suprisingly, Sasuke allowed her to do so.

"How is that fun?" he inquired.

She looked back at him, "Well, because it's spring. Everything's blooming. It looks really pretty." She shrugged sheepishly, unable to explain.

But Sasuke pulled his hand away as if hers were on fire, shoving it in his pockets. "Sakura, I don't have time for childish games." He said coldly.

The smile on Sakura's face instantly vanished. She clutched the hand he dropped to her chest, and nodded slowly. "Oh."

Before he could do any more damage, she continued on her way out the door.

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**A/N - Yeah, I know he's a douche. But I don't want to make him too OOC, ya know? Review please 3 !**


	3. t w o

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

Beyond This Illusion

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**.::Chapter Two::.**

* * *

Sakura didn't know what made her think that this whole process would be easy. She didn't know why she had agreed to do this. In fact, she was starting to regret it. If there had been any progress whatsoever, it was regressed by the other day. All she had done was offer to make him smile, because that's what teammates did for each other, right? And while at first he had seemed willing – she should have known it wouldn't be so easy to change him.

To get the ice block to melt.

She wasn't even sure if she wanted him to love her. But more so, she wanted him to have the ability to love again. She felt bad for him, really. His whole life was wasting away, and he was missing out on so much because of his damned ego and pride.

And it seemed like everyone was expecting her to melt his heart. Honestly, why did they all think she had the capacity to do so? What made her so special? She knew she wasn't, not to him. But she could be special, to someone else. And suddenly she wanted that.

She wanted someone who would hold her and love her and kiss her. And was that really so wrong? She was only female for Kami's sake.

So that's why Sakura decided to talk to Sasuke about this whole thing. Negotiate it.

Because in reality, what was she getting out of all this? Nothing. There was nothing in it for her. Maybe, if she still was in love with him, then maybe there would be something. But she had long since moved on. She couldn't afford to let him hurt her anymore.

"Sasuke-kun." She greeted one morning. He was running around, gathering all of his training materials, when he paused to look at her.

"Tsunade-sama has been discussing the parameters of your…punishment with Naruto and myself." She said; her voice steady.

He arched an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to continue.

Sakura folded her hands in front of her neatly. She found that when referring to Sasuke, it was best to keep a business-like tone. It was cold, and blunt. Just like him.

She regretted her thoughts instantly.

He could show that he cares, sometimes. When he wanted to.

"For one, you won't be allowed on missions for a given time period. The length is still undetermined. But we all knew that anyway. You'll remain at genin level, despite what occurred during the chuunin exams a few years ago. Tsunade will decide when you'll be allowed to take the chuunin exams. But that doesn't matter, because everyone already knows that you're at least a jounin in skill level."

They wouldn't keep him at genin level for long, they would eventually need his power.

"She originally wanted to have you monitored, but I convinced her otherwise."

Sasuke sat there, taking it all in. Everything seemed reasonable, he decided.

"Nothing is set in stone though. But that's really not what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh? And pray tell, what _did _you want to talk to me about?" his tone was curious.

"Our relationship." She stated bluntly. No reason not to get right to the point. She could already feel herself growing tired of her being the only one talking. "This really isn't working out."

Sasuke measured her carefully. He decided to entertain her notion for a bit. "Why not?" he finally asked.

"Because, I realize, giving up my life for you is stupid. And I'm not going to do it." She crossed her arms for good measure.

Sasuke shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Sakura blinked. "What?" she had not been expecting this. Where was the pleading, the begging?

He looked at her blankly. Stoic. "I said, suit yourself. You might want to get your ears checked. I'll find someone else to help me." and he turned his back.

He didn't need her. Never would need her. She was completely disposable. "So that's it? That's all you have to say?" she asked, rather appalled.

"What do you want me to say, Sakura?" he asked sharply, turning towards her in a swift movement. The quickness of it caught her off guard.

"I…I don't know." She murmured lamely. "But it's like you don't even care…"

His gaze hardened. "I don't _care." _He seethed. "I just preferred someone that I was used to, someone I knew. But if that person won't be you, then I will have to find someone else. It's that simple."

"But whatever happened to you caring about _me? _Didn't I mean anything at all – "

"I'm not in _love _with you Sakura." He stated bluntly. A little too harsh than she would have liked. But this was Sasuke she was dealing with.

Anger bubbled within her. "No shit. Nor am I with you."

A smirk. "Really? Because I can recall a certain pink haired girl proclaiming her undying love for me." he said mockingly. He was mocking her feelings.

"I was twelve, newsflash. I mistook that for a crush. And my caring about you as a person for love."

Sasuke shrugged, indifferent. He really just didn't give a shit.

She stepped up closer to him. "It's just that, you're not even trying."

"Trying to do what exactly? I act like a good _boyfriend _in public. I do all that shit you want. Forgive me for not doing that when we're alone because I can't fake feelings in my own home Sakura."

He really didn't know just how much his words hurt. "For God's sake Sasuke! I'm not talking about love!" she burst, frustrated. "I just want you to treat me with respect. Talk to me. As a friend. Like you said I was. Or was that just a way to manipulate me to say yes?"

"Since when did you know me to strike up conversation?" he evaded cleverly.

Sakura bit her lip. "You're an asshole sometimes, you know that?"

"So I've been told." He drawled, bored.

She glared at him, jabbing a finger to his chest. "But you don't even care! You just stand here and act like my being hurt and upset doesn't even matter."

"You're upset and hurt for no reason, that's why." He narrowed his eyes, taking her finger and swatting it away.

"No. It's not for no reason. This is exactly what I'm talking about Sasuke. You just, you say things and hurt people with no censorship. Think before you speak for once."

"I don't have to listen to you. Last time I checked you weren't my mother."

She glared at him, her temper rising. She refrained from making a crude comment about that last statement, because that would bring her into a whole new world of trouble that she couldn't be bothered with.

"Forget it." He said, walking away.

Sakura didn't know if she was making a mistake by doing this or not.

"Are you really going to want your child to grow up thinking that their Mommy and Daddy don't love each other?" she asked softly.

Sasuke paused.

"Because that's what will happen if you just marry anybody."

Sakura stepped forward, closing the gap between them. She attentively touched his shoulder. "I _can _help you." she continued. "I just need you to try."

How was it that she felt so sorry for him? That she wanted to do anything and everything in her power for him.

Sakura squeezed his shoulder when he didn't reply. "I'm not asking for you to love me."

She could have sworn she heard Sasuke smirk. "Good." Was his reply. She dropped her hand, allowing him to turn around. "I told you right off the bat that I wasn't going to be able to be what you want me to be. You know this."

Her eyes softened. "I know. But I'm selfish, too, you know? Maybe a part of me thinks I can change you for the better. Because there really is something irresistible about a lost cause." She murmured.

"I don't know what you're planning on doing," Sasuke began, "but I don't want to change. I'm fine the way I am."

She nodded. "Sure."

He ignored her. "So am I going to have to find someone else or not?"

She shook her head. "Even though you won't admit it, I know I got through to you."

"You act like you know me so well." He muttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Sakura began to walk, clasping her hands behind her back as she smiled,

"I do."

* * *

Two weeks of living with him, and Sakura had realized that Sasuke was boring and monotonous. He had no interests, other than training. She always knew that, but being with him and having to experience it herself made her want to give him an intervention. Or something like that.

Sakura cleaned off their dishes from eating lunch. She found that she had to buy just as much tomatoes for Sasuke, as she would have to buy ramen for Naruto. Upon asking him why he liked them so much Sasuke simply replied,

"They're healthy, and they're not too sweet. And they're easy to prepare."

She had to laugh at his practicality, earning her a glare.

She had tried on several occasions to get him to have some 'fun' but to no avail. He was hell bent on sticking to his own lifestyle, which was fine with her. The both of them were pretty stubborn, so it'd probably take a while to actually accomplish something. But she had the patience. After all, what else was there to do anymore? Konoha was slowly rebuilding itself, so charity work was always there. Sometimes Tsunade demanded that Sasuke help out. He never complained, but mostly because Sakura helped him.

But other than that, there was nothing. Everything was oddly slow. Naruto had been on a few missions as of late, while Sakura continued to help out at the hospital. Everything slowly became a routine. She needed something to spice up her life, something to do. But she didn't know exactly what to do.

Sasuke sat at the kitchen table, watching her.

"How much longer do you plan on waiting?" he asked, a hint of impatience laced in his tone.

She turned to meet his gaze. "Wait until what?" she asked, somewhat perplexed. He sighed.

"Waiting before we get married. How much longer?"

Sakura was taken aback. That must've been the most unromantic proposal she's ever heard of. "But we've only been together…if you can even call it that…for like…a month if that." She said, frowning.

"You don't think everyone expects us to get married as soon as possible?" he countered. Sakura swallowed and murmured,

"I'm not ready."

And she wasn't. It was all happening too fast for her liking.

He sighed. "When will you be ready?"

She shook her head. "I don't know…but Sasuke-kun, why the rush? We have time, right?"

He looked at her squarely. "Sakura, we're ninja. We get put in life threatening situations on a daily basis. No, we do not have time." He reasoned.

Sakura bit her lip and avoided his eyes.

"But we're so young…"

Sasuke took a deep breath and stood up. "Sakura, I've told you this already: if you don't want to do this, then I can find someone else." He stated seriously. Sakura shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry. I can do this." She was more determined to help him than anything. And somewhere, in the back of her mind, she was doing this because she was selfish. She didn't want anyone else to have Sasuke besides Naruto and herself.

Sasuke nodded. "Alright. So, when?"

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek nervously. "It depends. You probably would much rather have something on the down low rather than an extravagant affair."

"You're right about me not planning on having a big to do out of it. That's completely unnecessary."

"Okay. Then, Friday is good. I guess." She couldn't actually believe that she was discussing her marriage so easy. So open and casual. She wouldn't get a pretty gown or a cake or everyone loving her. She would have no brides maids or flower girls. And more than anything, she would not have a knight in shining armor.

* * *

Today was the day.

It was Friday, and Sasuke was getting back from training. Sakura looked at herself in the mirror. She had slight bags under her eyes. Thinking of what Ino might say, she decided to put on a little makeup to make herself more presentable. After all, she was getting married.

Even if Sasuke was always the person she dreamed of marrying when she was younger, she never imagine it would be like _this. _But then again, what girl would? She was told to wear jeans. Not even a nice looking kimono. Sakura wondered if he'd even buy a ring. OR what he was planning on doing about the whole "You may kiss the bride" part.

She checked her watch.

Sasuke was due to get her in a half hour. She didn't even know where he planned on taking them on such short notice, but didn't doubt that he had that covered by now.

Sakura applied mascara and a small amount of eyeliner to define her bright green eyes. She brushed her teeth thoroughly, and put on some Chap Stick. Then, she mentally scolded herself for trying to look good for him. Because he didn't deserve it at all.

She put on a nice looking shirt, something that would be at least presentable. Then, she sprayed a mild fruity perfume Ino had given her. Didn't want to smell bad.

Sakura took in a deep breath and waited.

Sasuke came exactly on time. Painfully prudent. She still wasn't ready. But would she ever be? He had just come back from training, she could tell.

"Aren't you going to change? Or…take a shower?" she suggested. He smelled like sweat, but it worked for him.

"I'll do that when we get back." He shrugged. Sakura sighed and walked out the door with him.

She was silent as he led her over to a building, somewhere on the outskirts of Konoha. Technically, he wasn't supposed to leave the village. But she didn't voice her thoughts.

They walked in together. It was a church-like building. But it was small and cramped. She stood waiting as Sasuke walked up to a counter and exchanged a few words with the man. He motioned for them to follow him, which we did.

There was an alter at the back of the room where he stood, looking at the two of us.

The whole priest marriage thing, it wasn't as short as it sounded in the movies, Sakura came to realize. It was boring, to hear him say paragraphs, and read scriptures from the Bible. But Sakura listened, inputting her voice when the priest directed her to. She was surprised that Sasuke actually said "I do" instead of some other form of communication such as "Hn" or "Aa."

The priest asked for Sasuke to place the ring on Sakura's finger, and he turned to Sakura looking at her intently. His eyes never left hers as he took her left hand, sliding a ring on her finger. How…?

How'd he know what size she was?

Her breath caught in her throat as the priest sealed the deal.

"I now pronounce you Husband and Wife," he turned to Sasuke and smiled, "You may now kiss the bride."

Sasuke's gaze was smoldering. And seductive. She couldn't even think at the moment. He leaned forward very slowly. Sakura closed her eyes, and soon she felt a pair of lips press against her own. Her heart pounded.

The kiss didn't last for more than a second or two, and he hadn't moved his lips at all. They were just, there. His lips weren't soft, but they weren't rough either.

The entire experience made her head dizzy, but not with elation. More from sickness. God, that was her first damn _kiss. _

The priest nodded at them, signaling us to leave. Sakura looked down at her hand, studying the ring. It was beautiful. Sasuke could afford any ring, she guessed. But the ring didn't matter. What mattered was how he treated her.

The pair walked home in silence once more, Sakura's eyes unable to leave the ring. "It's gorgeous." She murmured. Sasuke looked over at her and smirked. But Sakura didn't see. When they got home, Sakura decided to make a big dinner, after all it was their honeymoon night. Not that they were going to have a real honeymoon probably. But it was the thought that counted. Sasuke took a shower while she prepared the food.

Once he got out, she placed the dishes on the table. She had decided to make a tomato dish, since after all, wasn't it his favorite?

He got out just in time, with a towel wrapped wound his waist. If it were another universe, and him another person, Sakura might just jump him. But alas, it wasn't and he wasn't. So she smiled calmly at his arrival, pouring tea in each of their cups.

"I must say, you smell much better now than before." She teased lightly.

He didn't comment, which just made her feel like an idiot for trying to be playful with him.

"Ano, I made dinner." She said hesitantly. God, why was he doing this to her? Making her feel so timid, cause God knows, this wasn't like her at all. She was not _timid. _Not Sakrua Haruno. Not ever.

Sasuke blankly looked at the food on the table. "Yeah, I can see that." He replied cockily. Sakura bit her lip and refrained from punching him.

Instead, she sat down and waited as he did the same. "Aren't you going to get dressed?" she murmured, staring at his naked chest.

"What's the point?" Sasuke merely replied, picking up his chopsticks. He began eating, and Sakura felt a blush creep up her cheeks. "By the way, it's rude to stare." He said as he chewed his food slowly.

_Well, it's not exactly as if you're Mr. Polite over here. _Sakura thought to herself. But she refrained from saying anything as she quickly averted her gaze. She wondered if he liked the food.

But even more so, she wondered if he decided against getting dressed for a reason. A specific, reproducing of the clan reason.

But as usual, he ate in silence, not once sharing what was on his mind.

And Sakura cleaned up the dishes, without a word.

Once she was finished, Sasuke was in the living waiting for her. The look on his face told her that yes, he was going to try and restore his clan.

Tonight.

* * *

**A/N - I'm sorry for the delay guys, I should be getting my charger in the mail any day now. Enjoy, and review please ! **


	4. t h r e e

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

Beyond This Illusion

**

* * *

**

**.::Chapter Three::.**

* * *

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura questioned softly, looking up from her book. His gaze travelled to hers. "Why do people always write about happy endings? It's so unrealistic." She made a disgusted face.

He regarded her carefully for a moment. "It's because people want them. People don't want to read about a tragedy."

She nodded slowly to herself, "I see."

"They…don't want to have to think that just maybe, happy endings are unrealistic. Nobody _wants _a tragedy to happen. And yet they do."

"And yet they do." She echoed.

Sasuke turned his attention back to the scroll he was reading. Sakura set her book aside and took a sip of her tea.

She flashed back to the other night.

_But as usual, he ate in silence, not once sharing what was on his mind. _

_And Sakura cleaned up the dishes, without a word. _

_Once she was finished, Sasuke was in the living waiting for her. The look on his face told her that yes, he was going to try and restore his clan._

_Tonight._

"_Sasuke-kun…are we going to…?"_

_He looked at her briefly. "Going to what?"_

_She fidgeted with her shirt. "Tryandrestoreyourclan." She bit out quickly, hoping that he wouldn't hear. But Sasuke always had impeccable hearing._

_He turned to fully face her. "I'm not in that much of a rush."_

_Sakura exhaled and smiled a bit. "Okay, then." She walked up to him and slid her hands into his, hoping that he wouldn't flinch away. She was grateful when he didn't. But he didn't grip her hand back either. She tugged gently, leading him to their bedroom to go to sleep._

Sakura had to admit that she felt embarrassed for jumping to conclusions like that but Sasuke was so unpredictable. She never knew what he was thinking – which frustrated her to no end.

Suddenly, Sakura stood, an enthusiastic smile across her face.

"Let's spar." She offered. It was almost amusing to think that she would be sparring her _husband. _He stood easily,

"Alright."

If there was one thing Sasuke wouldn't refuse, it was an opportunity to train. Maybe in the past Sasuke wouldn't consider sparring her, but it meant something for him to agree so easily. It meant that he recognized her ability now.

"What are the Stipulations?" he asked offhandedly as they walked to the training grounds. Sakura thought for a moment.

"First round will be a warm up." She declared. "No Sharingan. Totally unfair advantage." Sasuke nodded in agreement. "Second round, sudden death. First to draw blood wins."

He smirked.

If he had to think about it, Sasuke never sparred her before. Naruto and Kakashi, he's sparred on countless occasions. But never Sakura. Mostly because he had drilled into his head for so long to _protect Sakura. _So the idea of trying to injure her seemed ludicrous. And also because she hadn't been worth sparring before.

But Naruto had told him that she had gotten stronger. That she had beaten _him _before. Needless to say, Sasuke was curious. It would be interesting to fight a new opponent. He didn't know how Sakura fought, or what her strengths were anymore, other than her ability to heal. No doubt she's learned to use her chakra control for something else though.

Sakura pulled on a pair of gloves and calmly walked across the field to face him.

He took a fighting stance, soon followed by Sakura, and he noticed that her stance wasn't defensive – like he had suspected. It was offensive, like his own.

_Well this should be interesting. _He smirked once more.

"Ready?" she asked, smiling confidently.

"Ready."

And then the two of them disappeared.

Sakura jumped up into a nearby tree, in the process throwing a handful of senbon into the ground with precision. On each senbon were little pieces of explosive tags. She threw the senbon hard enough so that they were buried in the dirt, hidden.

If Sasuke decided to use any fire type Justsu – which he probably would – the senbon would explode. She didn't take Sasuke for a fool, if he noticed them, it wouldn't make a difference. Then he just wouldn't use any fire type Jutsu. But if he didn't, well then, that would be all the more better.

And then suddenly Sasuke was behind her –

"Boo."

Sakura turned swiftly, blocking his fist and sweeping her leg across his feet. But he had already jumped, pushing her off the tree. Sakura rolled to soften the impact and jumped back onto her feet before Sasuke could hit her. But he was already throwing punches.

_Damn, he's fast._

Sakura blocked hastily, and then made a move as if she was going to punch him, swinging her fist in the air. But instead, she pumped chakra into her foot and planted it right across his chest – efficiently kicking him hard. Sasuke had blocked her foot, not knowing she had chakra infused. The kick sent him flying back into a tree nonetheless.

If Sasuke was shocked or impressed, he didn't show it. Because now he was in fighting mode, there was no room for thought.

Sakura didn't waste time. She sped up towards him and –

"Chakura no Mesu!" she shouted. Her finger swiped across Sasuke's right arm, rendering it immobile. She scanned his hands, trying to figure out which one took the blow, because she distinctly heard a small _crack _that had to be a wrist. But Sasuke clenched both his fists equally, so she couldn't tell. He tried to punch her with his right arm and was shocked to realize that he couldn't. Instead of wasting time, he settled on kicking her sharply, pushing her back. She fell backwards, taken off guard by his speed.

Sakura pumped chakra into her fists after she stood and punched the ground hard, shattering it. But Sasuke was behind her already, tripping her.

It took her a moment to stand up again, and she realized he could have pinned her down there. He was toying with her, holding back tremendously. Well, she might as well take advantage of that fact, she decided.

Then Sasuke took a deep breath, and as soon as he did, Sakura jumped back onto a tree. He held his hand up to his face. And then he exhaled,

"___Katon: Gōkakyu no Jutsu!"_

___The ground exploded. The tree Sakura was on fell to the ground, causing Sakura to topple over with it. Sasuke had jumped back as soon as he blew out the fire. __Damnit, he noticed after all._

Heran up to her and straddled her waist, pinning her down.

"What'd you do to my arm?"

Sakura didn't answer, they'd have time for casual conversation later. She bent back his left wrist experimentally. Sasuke let out a sharp hiss.

_Score. _

She inwardly grinned. This worked out perfectly. Now both his arms were injured, although she wouldn't put it past Sasuke to continue using his left arm – even with a broken wrist. She suspected he had a high threshold for pain, but as ninja, you had to.

Catching him off guard in his pain – which was easier to do than she imagined – she flipped them over, holding a kunai to his throat.

_He's not used to fighting without his Sharingan. That's why I was able to catch him off guard._

Slowly, Sakura pressed the kunai further against his throat, eliciting a thin red line to appear. She leaned down and whispered into his ear,

"I win."

She sat back up, a triumphant smile spread across her face. She twirled the kunai around her index finger and stared at it passively.

"You know why I won?"

He rolled his eyes. Clearly, her ego was out of wack.

"Why?" he drawled.

She looked down at him, poking his nose. "Because _you _held back."

He shrugged. "What did you do to my arm?"

"Oh that. It's my Chakra Scalpel. Usually, it's used for surgeries and such, but it can be used offensively, if one has precise control. I form a scalpel with my chakra and I'm able to cut muscles and tendons without actually breaking the skin. Med-nins usually use it to lower the risk of infection, but it can also be effective in fighting. The opponent won't even know what hit him, and suddenly, his arm or leg could be immobile."

She grinned, getting off of him. With a flick of her wrist, she healed the small cut she had marked on his throat.

"I forgot how perceptive you are. It's much easier to fool Naruto." She admitted.

"Well, he's more about brute force than strategy."

She nodded.

He didn't seem to put off about the fact that she beat him, which basically proved that he had held back. He isn't humble enough to accept a loss so easily.

Sakura looked down at herself, noticing no major injuries. She scoffed. "You didn't even try to hurt me."

"I can see you had no qualms about hurting me." he retorted.

"Yeah that's the point. You know, Naruto has no problem showing me his Rasengan once in a while. He's used it on me before." _He doesn't baby me, _she added mentally.

"Chidori would have taken up too much chakra for a warm up round."

Sakura waved her hand. "I'm done. If you had to even hold back without your Sharingan, I don't want to know what it'll be like with it. Anyway, gimmie your wrist." She held his hand in hers carefully, setting out to heal the bones. Once she was finished, he flexed his wrist as she went to repair the muscle tissue in his right arm.

"You've gotten stronger." He commented. Sakura didn't quite realize that it was meant to be a compliment so she replied,

"Well, I'd hope to have gotten stronger since I was twelve."

She noticed that he seemed almost relaxed. Not the cold person he had been for the months he'd been back so far. Maybe she did have the power to change him. Or, well, to release him rather, from his past. They settled into a comfortable silence, a breeze softly blowing across them. Then, she leaned down, allowing her back to hit the grass. Sasuke looked down at her when she tugged on his arm.

"Lie down." She whispered. His body complied before his mind had a chance to stop him from doing so.

"Today's a perfect day for cloud watching." She commented breezily. Her hands were neatly folded across her stomach as she looked up at the sky.

His gaze followed hers.

"Shikamaru used to take me cloud watching. He's real serious about that. Does it all the time." She looked at Sasuke, then back at the sky. She pointed,

"That one looks like a cat. You see the ears and the tail?" her finger traced the cloud. Sasuke furrowed his brows, trying to see it.

"It just looks like a cloud to me." he said seriously.

Sakura shook her head and sat up, pointing more furiously. "No, no, no." she leaned closer to him and pointed again insistently. "See?"

He leaned forward, concentrating on the cloud. "…I think so."

Sakura turned her head and was surprised to find Sasuke's face so close to her own. She blinked, and blushed softly at their close proximity. She felt overwhelmed by his presence. It wasn't a crush type thing, per say, but just _him. _

And his eyes locked with hers, so dark and mysterious. And serious, always serious.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find her voice. She felt Sasuke's light breath puff out across her cheeks. Then his eyes slid back up to the sky and he pointed,

"Look."

And she did, turning her head in the process. "What is it?" she asked softly. To her, that one sort of looked like a –

"It's a heart."

* * *

Everything was very quiet.

It was one of his healing sessions. His head was once again resting softly in her lap. It was as if he didn't mind her touching him now. As if physical contact was welcomed. Every time they had a healing session, afterword he would become sluggish and lazy. Calm, and soothed. She guessed that the chakra running through his eyes and brain was pleasant, but other than that she couldn't figure a reason.

So she wondered if he even noticed when her fingers unnecessarily trailed across his face, tracing his features. When she spoke her voice was hush and slow, yet accusatory.

"You used Mangekyou."

The corner of his lips tilted upward the slightest bit. "Nothing gets passed you." She shook her head,

"No, it doesn't," she granted, "but why?"

He hesitated a moment before he replied. "Naruto and I were sparring."

Suddenly she was a mix between shocked and furious. "You used _Mangekyou _on _Naruto?"_ she hissed, still trying to keep her voice low. Then she shook her head. "Stop trying to kill each other." She reprimanded.

Sasuke opened his previously closed eyes. She looked down at him professionally. "I thought I told you not to use it unless necessary. You're killing your eyes every time you use it. It's like all the work I've been doing just disappeared. Your eyes are in the same shape as when you first returned now. If you go blind it will be completely your fault."

"Stop scolding me."

She took a deep breath, her hands pressing against his temples a little harder than necessary. "Sorry Sasuke-kun. But you really need to listen. This is a serious matter."

He sighed, clearly annoyed.

"You're far too young to go blind." Sakura added more softly, brushing his long bangs out of his face.

He closed his eyes once more, signaling that he was done with the conversation. Sakura resumed her focus and pretended that feeling his skin beneath her fingertips, didn't excite her.

* * *

She had settled into a comfortable routine with Sasuke.

He still had his moments, and when he did, Sakura steered clear. His mood was still unpredictable, but she had known that from the beginning. It was hard to believe that this was the Sasuke who ordered her to kill Karin. Either he became very skilled in pretending to be alright, or life in Konoha was slowly melting away his hatred. Something even Sakura – for a moment – had given up on.

"You don't plan on attacking Konoha anymore, do you?"

"I don't know." He responded, tiredly.

"Oh."

He sat on the couch, sharpening his kunai. Sakura had to admit that she wanted to do something. She longed for there to be danger, or _anything _exciting to happen. Missions have been sparce – something Naruto actively complained about. With the Akatsuki technically disbanded, and Uchiha Madara disposed of, crimes were considerably less. Sure there were a few rough guys who thought they were tough shit, but they were easily dealt with. Surely nothing Danzou status that would put the village on threat again.

Everyone helped out to repair Konoha to its former glory. It was amazing how people could come together in a time of sadness. Even Sasuke helped without complaint, not that it mattered. He _had _to help. Part of his punishment. Almost like community service.

Team Kakashi still had training sessions, but with Sai gone back to Root, Sasuke resumed his place. As Naruto added – rightfully so. He liked Sai, sorta, but Sasuke was a part of them. And even though they couldn't go on missions because of Sasuke, (it wasn't like there were a whole lot available anyway) they still sparred to keep themselves active.

In total, it had been six months since the death of Uchiha Madara and Danzou. Six months since Sasuke returned. And yet, a part of Sakuar was still worried that he would decide to attack the Elders of Konoha one day. That he would betray the village once again. The only thing that mattered to him was his clan. And perhaps, Naruto and herself.

"Why do you ask?" Sasuke's voice broke Sakura out of her thoughts. She realized he was staring at her intently, fixated on her reply.

Sakura bit her lip. "I worry about it a lot. You're so unpredictable sometimes."

He thought about her answer for a moment, choosing his reply carefully. "If I had any immediate plans on leaving, I wouldn't have married you."

Sakura nodded slowly. "I suppose that's true. When are we going to tell people?"

He shrugged, returning his attention to his kunai. "We don't have to tell them we're already married yet. We can just say we're…engaged."

"Okay."

And just like that, the conversation died out, leaving Sakura to bask in her thoughts once more.

* * *

"So, Forehead, is Sasuke a good kisser?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. Figures Ino would ask something like this. She had been on Sakura's ass for the past few months about Sasuke. Always interfering and asking if he took her on dates and whatnot. Sakura was just as disappointed as Ino was when she said that Sasuke didn't do much of those things. And mostly that she didn't know if Sasuke was a good kisser or not.

"He's not really a psychical person, you know that."

Sakura examined the flowers carefully. The Yamanaka Flower Shop always was vibrant and colorful, with a sweet scent. Ino leaned across the counter,

"You can't honestly expect me to believe that he hasn't kissed you in the months that you've been going out."

Sakura drummed her fingers across the flat surface, thinking of an appropriate response. She flashed back to Sasuke's lips mashing against her own at their wedding. It was such a forced thing. Fake as one of Sai's smiles.

"He has. I just can't decide whether or not it's good or bad."

Ino rolled her eyes.

Quickly changing the subject Sakura said, "He proposed to me." she dug into her pocket and pulled out the ring, slipping it onto her fourth finger.

Ino's eyes widened drastically. "_Oh my god! _Sakura, how could you have kept this from me! why weren't you _wearing _that? Oh my god, it's beautiful!" she beamed.

Sakura giggled softly, suddenly wanting to gossip. "I know, it's gorgeous." And she really wasn't lying. Ino just shook her head, smiling.

"I can't believe _you _landed this huge rock. Hell, I can't believe you even landed Sasuke. We were beginning to think he was asexual or something."

Now it was Sakura's turn to roll her eyes. "He was just focused on…other things."

Ino waved her hand. "Yeah yeah, that's all in the past."

"You said it." Sakura murmured.

Then suddenly, Ino turned to her with a devilish gleam in her eyes as she smiled wickedly.

"So forehead," she began, sickeningly sweet, "When's the wedding?"

* * *

**A/N - I appreciate all of the reviews and constructive critisism (: In the previous chapter, Sasuke said he didn't want to take a walk with Sakura because it wasn't fun, and I should have specified, but he didn't want to walk with _her. _I know that in the databook it says that taking walks is one of his hobbies, so sorry I didn't specify. **

**Please review (:**


	5. f o u r

**Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

Beyond This Illusion

* * *

**.::Chapter Four::.**

* * *

"So you told Ino?"

Sakura nodded.

"And she told everyone else in the village."

She nodded again.

"And now you expect us to get married. Again."

A third time.

Sakura waited patiently for a response. Anger, annoyed? What would it be?

He sighed heavily. "Annoying."

Sakura broke out into a huge smile and jumped up, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you!"

He rolled his eyes. "I didn't say yes." He pointed out.

Sakura pulled away, realizing she had encroached into his personal space. But also nothing in the back of her mind that he didn't pull away. She grinned. "You didn't have to. I already know that was a sign of defeat."

He grumbled something under his breath, and then said, "You're fault."

She nodded. "I know."

And then he sighed again. Sakura stood up, and – feeling bold – she grabbed his hand, hoisting him up to his feet. He had been trying, and she noticed. She wished she could do something for him, but didn't know exactly what to do.

"What are you doing?" he questioned.

She interlaced their fingers together, and brought their hands up to her face, examining his hands. With a flick of her wrist she began healing small cuts on his hands.

"Will I live?" he mocked.

She grinned, but didn't take her eyes off of his hands. "Barely." She replied sarcastically.

In truth, she was nervous. She wanted to show Sasuke that she cared and appreciated him trying, and she was toying with a few ideas of what to do. But she couldn't decide on one.

"Sasuke-kun, why did you choose me?" she looked up to meet his gaze.

He looked blank. "What do you mean?"

She shifted uncomfortably and dropped his hand. "I mean, you could have anyone you want – clearly. So why choose me?"

Sasuke snorted. "Who else would I choose?"

When the opportunity had presented itself for Sakura to be his spouse, it hit him like a ton of bricks. In a '_why didn't I think of that?' _kind of way. He hadn't really wanted to get with some stranger, but he hadn't even considered the idea of Sakura.

Sakura bit her lip.

"Sakura I hope you're not taking this more than you should. But let's face it, who else could I really pick? I know you, have known you for a while. And you," he paused, "well you're used to me." he decided on saying. Sakura felt a bit put out that he didn't say she knew him.

"Wow, thanks." She muttered lamely.

He continued on. "Plus you're a top medic. You're perfect."

She rolled her eyes.

He smirked condescendingly. "I hope you weren't expecting some sort of romantic confession."

Sakura blushed a furious shade of red and punched his shoulder. "No! You idiot."

He shrugged and walked past her. "Just saying."

"Bastard." She mumbled under her breath.

Sakura could have sworn she heard a ghost of a chuckle from down the hall.

* * *

"Sakura, I need to ask you something." Sasuke said purposefully as he entered her office.

Sakura looked up from her notebook and stretched her arms out. "Shoot."

Sasuke grabbed a chair and sat down casually next to her. In Sakura's opinion, he did it quite sexily. But then again, everything he did was sexy. It bothered her greatly.

"Is there a chance our children will have pink hair?" he asked bluntly.

Sakura giggled at him. "No Sasuke-kun."

He arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I don't want my son having pink hair."

Sakura flipped to a blank page in her notebook and motioned for Sasuke to come closer. Curiously, he did. Sakura drew a box with four squares in it.

"This is a Punnett square." She said simply. "It helps decide how offspring will inherit certain genes."

He nodded, listening to her closely. "Now, since both your parents had black hair and eyes, and both their offspring had black hair and eyes, it leads me to believe that you are homozygous dominant for black hair and eyes. This means that you don't carry the gene for any other color hair or eyes."

She drew two capital B's at the top of the squares. "The capital B's will represent your black hair and eyes."

"Now on the other hand, my hair and eye color are recessive. Which means that in order for it to show, I'd need to have two recessive traits. You follow?" Sasuke nodded again, watching as on the side of the box, she drew two lower case B's.

"The lower case B's will represent my pink hair and green eyes."

Sasuke watched intently as Sakura continued in her explanation. "Now, to fill in the boxes, you just take one letter from the top and one from the side. In doing so, the four squares in the middle have a capital B and a lower case B."

"So?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura smiled and continued. "That means that all of our children will have a heterozygous trait. When this happens, the dominant trait will show regardless. In this case, the dominant trait being your black hair. So no matter what, our children will not have pink hair or green eyes."

Sasuke blinked a few times, looking at the paper. "I see."

Sakura turned her face to meet his, and at that moment blushed at the realization of how close their faces were. Sasuke turned his head too, his face inches away from Sakura's.

"Sasuke-kun, you…"

Sasuke pulled back. "What?"

Shaking her head, Sakura mumbled, "Nevermind."

Her eyes glanced back at her notebook, as she returned her attention to her notes. He stood and looked down at her in wonderment. "Sakura, you've been in here the entire day." He stated.

Sakura scribbled in her notebook. "Great observation."

He rolled his eyes. "Have you even eaten?"

Sakura shrugged. "I'm not starving, so it doesn't matter."

Sasuke shrugged walking out of the room. "Whatever."

Sakura scribbled notes down quickly, trying desperately to concentrate again. She had to just finish making the diagnosis for this one patient…

She was just about done when Sasuke returned with a tray of onigiri in his hand. Astonished, Sakura blinked and looked up at him.

He put them on the table wordlessly, then commanded, "Eat."

She was baffled. "You…made these?"

He shrugged.

Sakura smiled a genuine smile and stood from her chair. She kissed his cheek softly. "Thank you."

Sasuke turned around quickly and walked out of the room, mumbling under his breath. He moved too quickly for her to even see his facial expression.

Sakura smiled, sat back down and took a bite of onigiri.

* * *

"But Sasuke, if we're going to do this properly, you know we're going to have to pick a song, right?"

"What?"

"You know, like, a song. _Our _song. The song we'll dance to afterword. It's tradition. Haven't you ever been to a wedding?"

Sasuke shook his head, "No."

She frowned. "Oh, well. The bride and groom – after the actual wedding – go to the reception. It's basically an after party. There's drinking and cake and food and sake and dancing. Everything that you hate, essentially."

"But, we are going to do this the right way. You said we could. So, thus in conclusion, a song. We need a song."

Sasuke merely blinked; a scowl on his face. "I don't dance."

"Yeah, you can. Just pretend it's…advanced ninja footwork. Yeah." She smiled and grabbed his hand, standing him up.

"Sakura." He warned in a low voice.

His threats didn't really affect her anymore for some reason. She became immune to them, because she hushed him and placed his hands on her hips.

"Now all we have to do is sway back and forth, not complicated at all. Geez Sasuke-kun, don't be so stiff. Loosen up a little, will ya?" She wrapped her arms around his neck. She noticed his discomfort.

"How come you're all touch-a-phobic?" she inquired curiously as they continued to sway.

Sasuke stopped and dropped his hands. "I'm not."

"You are, and you know it." Sakura put her hands on her hips.

"It's none of your business." Sasuke spat, walking away. But Sakura grabbed his wrist.

"Hey, I'm not letting you spoil our pretend first dance."

He sighed heavily. "Sakura, stop making such a big deal of this."

Sakura glared at him. "Why? Why, Sasuke? Maybe I want this one thing! Maybe I want to have a nice wedding, because I know that the marriage is going to suck. Maybe I need to just have this one thing? I'm giving up my life for you, and I can't even have a pretend dance?"

"Stop _doing _that! Stop putting the guilt on me. You don't have to do this." Sasuke shot back heatedly.

Sakura frowned and pulled back. "I wanted to help you, because I care about you. But you know what Sasuke? You really want to know what?"

She paused, trying to prevent the tears from escaping.

"It really sucks to care about you. Sometimes, I just wish I didn't."

Without giving Sasuke another chance to reply, Sakura left the room.

* * *

Sasuke climbed into bed that night quietly – as usual.

What wasn't usual was what followed.

Sakura's back was facing him. She had stubbornly avoided him for the rest of the night, still frustrated by before. He was just so stubborn sometimes.

She could practically feel Sasuke's eyes boring into her. But she chose to remain still, feigning sleep.

"Sakura, I know you're awake." Sasuke whispered.

Sakura scoffed. Why did he act like he knew everything?

"So what if I am?" was her snide reply.

She felt Sasuke's hand on her arm, turning her so that she was now facing him. Sakura glared at him in the darkness.

"Are you really going to do this just because we don't agree on something?"

"If I'm really that hard to put up with, you should just choose someone else to make your baby maker." She was bitter.

"You're not my baby maker Sakura." He replied offensively. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"As if! Don't make me laugh. I'm nothing to you. That's all I'm worth."

"How many times will we have to go over this, Sakura? Just because I'm not in love with you doesn't mean I don't care about you at all. You just always take everything I do, and twist it to mean something that it doesn't."

She sat up abruptly, anger evident in her voice. "And what am I supposed to do? I'm going to marry someone who isn't in love with me. I'm never going to find love because of that. What am I supposed to do?"

"Why do you care about falling in love so much anyway?" he rebuked irritably.

"Because, Sasuke_-kun_, that's every girl's dream. Growing up, falling in love, doing romantic things, feeling special. Having someone treat you like you are special. It's, it's something a girl wants."

"Love never lasts. It always ends horribly anyway. What's the point? Divorces?"

She laughed humorously. "Divorce? Sasuke, if anyone is going to get a divorce it'll probably be us. I can see myself getting so fed up with you. We'd be the first to get divorced. We can't agree on anything."

"Whatever." He said, getting out of bed and walking away.

"God, Sasuke this is exactly what I'm talking about! You just walk away."

Sakura wanted to slap him in the face.

He turned around a glare on his face, "It's better than staying here and arguing with _you._"

And he casually walked out the front door, shutting it quietly behind him.

Sakura wished he would've slammed it.

* * *

**A/N - Started school the other day. ew. Review please? **


	6. f i v e

**disclaimer - do not own Naruto. damn.**

**A/N - I may change my username soon, so don't freakout if you don't see the one you're used to. It's just, I've had this one since seventh grade and it's annoying now that I'm a junior. New username will most likely be Vampirette Knight (like my gaia account). So watch out for that. **

**PS - Super sorry for the late update D:**

**

* * *

**

Beyond This Illusion

* * *

**.::Chapter Five::.**

**

* * *

**

They'd been fighting a lot.

It was probably to be expected though, as their personalities were a contrast. But they only fought at home.

In public, they were still happy. Well, as happy as Sasuke would ever act anyway. Which – in retrospect – wasn't all that happy.

However, despite their trivial scuffles, they were getting accustomed to living together. They had a routine now. Together.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?" Sakura asked blankly as she entered the kitchen. He swiftly turned towards her, as if he was caught doing something wrong, and cursed under his breath.

"Nothing." He seethed.

She almost wanted to laugh at his temper. _Almost._

She walked towards him curiously, to watch as he attempted to cut a tomato into slices.

A small smile broke out across her face, causing Sasuke's glare to intensify. "Sasuke, do you need help?" she asked, giggling softly.

His fist clenched around the knife as he shook his head. "No, I don't."

But Sakura took the knife from his hand and held the tomato, carefully cutting it into even slices.

"I'm sorry about the other night," she murmured casually. "I didn't mean to flip out on you."

Sasuke's gaze softened as he shifted to lean against the counter as he watched her slice. "It's alright..." he reluctantly replied. His eyes were focused on her.

Sakura nodded in approval. "Good. I guess we don't need to have a song. It doesn't really matter anyway."

Sakura slid the plate towards him once she was finished, and washed the knife off in the sink. Sasuke didn't really know what to say to her, so he chose to remain silent.

He took a bite of his tomato and chewed it thoughtfully.

"Has Tsunade decided what to do with Juugo and the others?"

Sakura shook her head. "She hasn't really thought about it much, to tell you the truth. But Konoha is slowly getting back to normal, so she'll have time to decide."

Sasuke swallowed and sighed in a frustrated tone.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I know you consider them your…teammates." It was hard for Sakura not to say the word bitterly. She was selfish. She wanted for her and Naruto to be his only teammates. His _real _teammates. And she hated the fact that Sasuke had left her for _them. _

It was something she refused to accept.

"I'll ask her about it." She reluctantly added, finding that his silence was discomforting. It wasn't unusual for her to do this, he noticed.

Sakura – finished washing the knife off – felt unnerved. She felt as though she needed to be doing something to occupy her while in his company. He just made her so uncomfortable sometimes. Without him even knowing it.

"Sakura." Sasuke suddenly intoned. Her gaze travelled to his, and he seemed to be looking at her intently. This almost made her blush. It definitely made her more uncomfortable.

"What?" she whispered in reply. Her eyes were shy, and her voice unsure. It was rare for him to see her like this these days. A rare moment of weakness, something he knew she strived to eliminate. Especially in front of him.

He kept his eyes trained on her as he continued. "Let's go for a walk."

She nodded once.

And he turned, without waiting for her, and walked towards the door. Jogging, she caught up to him easily and slipped out the front door when he held it open for her.

Little by little, she'd make her way into his heart.

It was a warm evening, with a cool breeze blowing past them. Sakura danced lithely along the sidewalk, skipping ahead of him as he watched her, with his hands in his pockets. He had a graceful strut, as if he were at ease.

Sakura – on the other hand – was quite uncoordinated for a ninja.

Sasuke watched as she tripped, but righted herself quickly. He looked at the serene girl in front of him objectively. She turned and began to walk backwards.

"Tell me if I'm gunna walk into something." She commanded, fully trusting him. His eyes became unfocused, looking ahead to make sure her path was clear, before they returned to her face. He wondered when her eyes shone so green, so bright. He wondered if –

"Hey, Sasuke, you have something in your hair."

She stopped walking and reached up, tugging a leaf out of his dark locks. She flicked it aside, getting lost in his deep gaze. So intense, without him even realizing.

– she knew how bright they were.

"Thank you." He murmured, just loud enough for her to hear.

Sakura giggled and turned, walking forward once more. Something seemed to make her revert back to her childish behaviors, yet he didn't mind.

It was almost pleasant to watch her being so carefree.

She jumped up and walked on the bridge, holding her arms out for balance. Sasuke – subconsciously – moved closer to her. Because obviously he didn't want her to fall. He thought back to what he'd said in the beginning. That she was his _friend. _And that was why she had to help him.

But was she really?

Had he ever acknowledged her as a friend before?

No, not really. And yet, she had seemed to accept this so heart fully. He wondered if he took her for granted. Because honestly, he didn't think that anyone else would put up with him the way she had. He told her that she didn't have to be the one to do this for him, but would anyone else do it? Did he really even have any other option?

A promise of marriage without love. A declaration of children without hope.

Even to him, it didn't sound right.

But he couldn't give her anything else. He couldn't give her the love she wanted. He simply didn't know how. Didn't know how to love again.

But could you blame him?

He was torn from his thoughts as she jumped down from the bridge, her animated figure twirling around.

He knew he had the ability to make her happy. Or sad. At the drop of a dime, he could affect her mood.

He could choose to walk home, and leave her here to possibly regret her decision sadly.

Or he could choose to take a chance.

Maybe this time, he'd chose the right one.

Her ring sparkled on her fourth finger, glinting in the dimming sunlight. A ring he'd given her, which she would wear for the rest of their marriage. A symbol of commitment.

He quickened his pace and placed his hands on her shoulders. She looked back at him, giving him a questioning glance. His gaze travelled downward to hers as he gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. She smiled and faced the road ahead of them, her eyes softening.

It was a road before them – figuratively and literally.

And maybe, just maybe, Sasuke would be willing to help her along the way.

* * *

They decided the wedding would be on Sasuke's birthday.

Well, Sakura decided anyway.

It was a 'landmark' in her opinion. But Sasuke really couldn't care less.

"Sasuke, you're going to be eighteen. You have to at least _celebrate _it. And what better way than to have our fake wedding then? It could be a double party." She had said.

And he just shrugged, because he didn't want to fight with her on this anymore. He'd try to let her have her happy wedding, because he figured she deserved as much.

And his birthday was only two weeks away. Their time together had been flying by. Because things weren't really different. They didn't kiss, or hold hands or go on dates like normal couples. Things weren't really different from when they were merely team mates.

The only difference was that they now slept in the same bed.

Here they were, standing in the Yamanaka Flower shop, as Sakura tried on her dress doubtfully. Much to Sasuke's surprise, Sakura wasn't too enthusiastic about this part.

Supposedly the groom wasn't supposed to see her in the 'wedding dress', but Sakura said it didn't matter since they were technically married already.

So here Sakura was, tilting her head as she looked at herself in the mirror, a long kimono flowing down her body. It was pink and green – naturally, and it complimented her curves nicely. She frowned.

"What's wrong, Forehead?" Ino asked as Sasuke glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.

She shook her head. "I hate wearing kimonos. They don't flatter me."

Ino waved her hand. "Are you kidding me? You can't be serious." Sakura shrugged and went to go change. Ino saw this as a perfect opportunity to interrogate a certain Uchiha.

Sasuke eyed the blonde warily as she approached him.

"You better be good to her." She warned. "And you should compliment her. She's pretty self conscious, whether she's willing to admit it or not."

He shrugged. "She has no reason to."

Ino smiled softly. "Maybe you should let her know that."

A few minutes later, Sakura returned, with the kimono neatly folded in her arms. "Thanks, Ino. You ordered it perfectly." She smiled nervously. Sakura hadn't realized all the attention that would be placed on her during the wedding. It was making her quite uncomfortable.

"Don't worry." Ino winked. "I just can't wait for your bachelorette party."

Sakura glared and walked towards the exit. "Let's go, Sasuke."

And he stood, nodding to Ino as the pair left the flower shop.

Of course Ino would make sure her best friend had the perfect wedding. It was her job as maid of honor after all.

"So Sasuke, have you asked Naruto yet?" Sakura inquired on the way home.

Sasuke shook his head. She giggled at him.

"If you want, I can ask him."

He shrugged, indifferent.

In all honesty, a part of her was excited about all this. She was excited to get married, even if it wasn't what she ever expected. Another part of her thanked Kami for giving her this opportunity to do it _properly. _

Sasuke glanced at her, but Sakura was eyeing the kimono in her arms.

"It looks good on you." He reluctantly stated. Sakura smiled softly, feeling a bit shy as she bit her lip uncertainly.

"Thank you." She murmured.

He nodded, keeping his gaze in front of him.

"Two weeks away…" she whispered absently. Then, looking at him curiously.

"What would you like for your birthday?"

"Nothing."

Sakura shot him a surprised glance. "Nothing? Sasuke you have to want something."

She waited for him to reply but he only shook his head. "I don't want anything."

Sakura mentally sighed. He was hard to shop for. She fumbled with the hem of the kimono. She had a lot of nervous habits, as Sasuke noticed.

He wondered how many of them were his doing.

* * *

"Sakura-chan, this is so exciting. I can't believe you and teme are actually getting married." A bright smile beamed across his face. He was truly happy for his two best friends. Sakura smiled fondly.

Sakura had suggested that Tsunade allow Sasuke to partake in missions, so he had been put on a trial mission. Something simple, yet a test to see if he was loyal. While he was missing, Sakura had a chance to relax from all the wedding drama. To be herself again.

"Thank you, Naruto. You're next." She warned, giggling. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I know a certain someone who would love to…" she trailed off, thinking of Hinata. The poor girl would probably faint.

His eyes brightened up. "Really, Sakura-chan? Who is it?"

Sakura put a finger to her lips. "Secret. She'll tell you when she's ready."

Naruto instantly deflated. "Aw, c'mon!"

Sakura giggled, and then remembered a more important topic.

"So Naruto, I know Sasuke's been meaning to ask you something, but well, you know how he is. So I'm just going to ask for him."

Naruto just looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue. "As you know, Ino is going to be my maid of honor, and Hinata and Tenten my brides maids. Sasuke needs a best man. Obviously, that would be you."

Naruto feigned shock. "Oh, that sentimental bastard! What a surprise! He's so caring." He teased.

Sakura giggled and pushed him playfully. "Shut up Naruto, you know he isn't good with words."

Naruto – seeing that Sakura was laughing (something she hadn't really done in a while) – continued with the banter. "Right, I think he formed his first sentence a few days ago. I was so proud."

Sakura's laughter escalated, and then died down a few minutes later. "Seriously, Naruto. Will you do it?"

Her eyes softened as he gave her a soft and understanding smile.

"Of course."

* * *

One week until the wedding. Sakura had a major dilemma.

Well, make that _two _major dilemmas.

For one, Sakura didn't know who was going to walk her down the aisle. Ever since her father left them, she hadn't seen him.

Secondly, Sasuke hadn't returned from his mission yet.

She was starting to get worried. He wouldn't stand her up, would he? She bit her lip, unsurely as she sat at the training grounds, taking a quick break from her routine.

That's when she heard Kakashi jump down from a tree.

"Getting cold feet?" he asked casually, coming to lean against a tree next to her.

She smiled, embarrassed, as she looked down. "Not quite. I just hope Sasuke comes home in time. Everything will have been a waste."

Kakashi looked off into the distance. "He'll be back." He stated certainly. Sakura didn't question him, simply telling herself the same thing in her head.

_He'll be back._

Suddenly, an idea flashed into Sakura's mind. She smiled and tugged on Kakashi's pants. He looked down at her, arching an eyebrow.

"I have something important to ask you." She stated shyly. Kakashi sat down next to her, signaling that he was listening. She fumbled with her kunai, her cheeks flushing.

"Would you want to…walk me…down the aisle?" she asked, her eyes wide and hopeful and maybe a little nervous. She always saw Kakashi as more of a father than her real dad, but asking him this seemed childish.

She saw his mask crinkle into a smile as he looked at her seriously. "I'd be honored."

And then she smiled brightly, pleased with his response. In a bold move, she reached over and tugged down the corner of his mask, and pecked his cheek. She didn't really see much, but it was more than Naruto and Sasuke ever saw. She inwardly smiled at the small victory.

Pulling away, she stood up and dusted herself off. "Thank you." She replied sincerely. He nodded and watched as she skipped away, and thought to himself,

_She's grown up more than Naruto or Sasuke has._

_

* * *

_

Later that day, Sakura took a shower once she finished her rounds at the hospital. It was a long and exhausting day, and she hadn't even eaten dinner yet. She would probably just have ramen or sushi, because she was too lazy to actually cook something for herself.

As she got out of the shower, with a towel wrapped around her waist, she thought she heard a noise coming from downstairs.

And then she senses a familiar chakra.

Before she had time to process anything, Sasuke was in the doorway of _their _room.

She pulled the towel more securely against herself.

_He'll be back._

"Hi." She whispered, suddenly aware of her indecency. He looked worn out from the four days he'd been gone. She quickly scanned him to make sure he had no life threatening injuries and was relieved to find that she didn't see any.

He nodded back to her and glanced from her head to her feet. Sakura blushed under his gaze. "I'll wait downstairs." He said politely, giving her time to change.

She changed into pajama shorts and a tank top quickly, running her fingers through her damp hair in an effort to comb through it.

Within five minutes, she was downstairs ready to greet him. "I'm sorry I didn't cook or anything. I was just planning on having something quick."

He nodded, "That's fine."

"Are you hungry?"

"Hn."

Sakura smiled as she walked into the kitchen. "Okay then, I'll make us some ramen."

He followed her into the kitchen, removing his backpack and bandage wraps. Sakura glanced at him as she set the water to boil, taking out the ramen noodles and pouring in the broth mixture. She set two bowls and chopsticks on the table and faced him.

"Need any healing?" she asked.

Sasuke merely lifted off his shirt to reveal a deep gash in his side.

At her questioning glance, he responded, "Rouge ninjas. A lot of them."

She nodded, probably expecting there to be more damage, and was disappointed when he said there wasn't. Only he could get away that lucky.

She set on healing his side, cleaning the wound from any dirt first. Her hands pressed to his side gently, as she pumped chakra into his system.

She could feel his breaths puff out over the top of her head as she worked, and she stepped away quickly once she finished.

"Thank you." He replied.

She nodded. "You should shower before you eat." Her nose wrinkled. "No offense, but you stink."

He shot her a glare, as if saying, _well what do you expect?_

But she merely smiled. "It's okay; at least you still look good."

And all Sasuke could do was shake his head as he walked down the hallway.

"Oh and Sasuke?" she called out, running out of the kitchen. He paused in his walking and half turned to face her. Sakura couldn't imagine him looking any sexier. Before she was caught staring she smiled,

"Naruto said he'd do it."

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	7. s i x

**diclaimer - do not own. **

**a/n - officially changed my username now. yes, it's still me, xteenuh102593, except new and improved. enjoy!**

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Beyond This Illusion

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**.:: Chapter Six ::.**

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Sasuke had thanked Sakura for convincing Tsunade to allow him to go on that mission. Tsunade was pleased with how Sasuke handled it, and secretly told Sakura she'd find another one – more useful this time – for him. Sakura bowed gratefully and smiled.

Now that the wedding was in a day, Sakura was becoming more…spazzmatic.

She was running around, hectic, trying to get everything accomplished that needed to be. But really, she didn't know what to do. She was just guessing here.

Sasuke had told her (politely of course) to _calm the hell down._

"Sakura, I don't understand what you're stressing about." Ino told her.

Sakura sighed and nodded. "I know, it's just. I want it to be perfect."

Ino scoffed. "Nothing is perfect. But this'll come pretty damn close." She flashed a wicked grin. "Besides, your bachelorette party is tonight. Although, only you would decide to combine Sasuke's party with yours."

Sakura shrugged. "Sasuke wouldn't have done anything if I didn't suggest it."

Ino laughed and put in her earrings, applying eyeliner and makeup. She turned to Sakura with an evil gleam in her eye and placed her hands on her hips.

"Now, we have to make you look _sexy. _I want Sasuke to look at you and be jealous."

Sakura rolled her eyes. She doubted that would happen any time soon. But she gave Ino kudos for putting in the effort. Sakura was already wearing a black mini dress that hugged all of her curves, and sorta made it impossible to sit down without it riding up.

Ino stood next to Sakura, eyeliner in hand. "You see, girls like us are lucky because we have light eyes. So eyeliner looks ten times better on us. Now hold still."

Having Ino apply so much makeup to her face that it actually felt heavier was awkward. She could feel the extra weight on her face and it was kind of uncomfortable at first. But she accustomed to it quickly once she saw herself in the mirror. It was like she was a different person.

Her hair was straightened perfectly, her lips looking pink and juicy, her eyes standing out with the dark contrast of the eyeliner. And the dress…well let's just say she was embarrassed to even have it on, let alone let other people see her wearing it.

Ino nodded her approval. "Damn, I made you look too hot."

Sakura giggled.

Tonight was going to be perfect.

* * *

Luckily, since Sakura and Sasuke were the guests of honor, they didn't have to organize the party. In fact, all they had to do was show up.

Ino had rented out some dance club that Jiraya had told her about, and got it decorated. She really was a good maid of honor.

Sakura sat in her house, waiting for Sasuke to get out of the shower. He hadn't seen her yet, dressed like this. Sakura wasn't sure she wanted him to see her like this at all.

Finally, after waiting for ten minutes, Sasuke emerged into their bedroom with a towel wrapped around him. He didn't look surprised, per say that she was there. But he was surprised – however – about her choice of attire.

"What are you wearing?" he questioned incredulously.

Sakura blushed and looked down.

"Ino did it." She murmured. "Does it look bad?"

Sasuke, taking another towel to dry himself off, chose not to reply to that.

"Does it?" she pressed, noticing his silence.

Sasuke stared at himself in the mirror, then looked at her through the reflection. "You look like a slut." He stated bluntly.

Sakura clenched her fists and looked away.

"Someone might get the wrong idea if they saw you wearing that." He continued.

Sakura huffed an exhale of disapproval.

"I'm going to go change." She mumbled under her breath. As she was about to stand up a firm hand of her wrist stopped her.

"No, don't." he protested quietly. "You look good, though."

Sakura smiled softly, and giggled. "Thanks. Now what are you going to wear?" she pressed, standing.

He shrugged, indifferent to the matter.

Sakura _tsked _him and walked to the closet. She did so slowly, as if to make him notice her curves. Flipping through his clothes, she found a pair of jeans that she'd never seen him wear, along with a black collared shirt. She pulled the two pieces of clothing out and handed them to him.

"Wear this." She said. "I'll be waiting downstairs."

And she quietly closed the door behind her.

* * *

It wasn't a large affair. Only the original Rookie Nine, plus Kakashi, Tsunade, Anko, Genma and a few others.

There was an open bar (courtesy of Tsunade) and a dance floor surrounded by tables and loud, rhythmic music.

Exactly Sasuke's cup of tea, Sakura mused.

The two of them showed up together, both looking equally appealing. Sasuke's eyes scanned the room with unmistakable (and poorly hidden) distaste. Whilst Sakura's eyes shone with excitement.

The couple was instantly mobbed by people. Well, mostly Sakura. Sasuke conveniently slipped away unnoticed. He took a nearby empty table and on a whim, ordered a shot of sake. He had a feeling he wouldn't be leaving his seat tonight much, anyway.

Sakura was dragged to the dance floor by Ino for a girl's group dance. It seemed like the party was already buzzing. Sakura giggled as Ino leaned in closely, "What'd the ice block think of your outfit?" she grinned devilishly.

Sakura laughed and rolled her eyes, her hips settling into a rhythmic swaying that went in time with the beat of the music. "Well it definitely didn't go unnoticed. He said I looked like a slut, at first. I think it was just shock really."

Ino shook her head in disbelief. "That bastard. You should pay him back."

Sakura blinked, confused, "How?"

Ino merely cackled and began to dance more provocatively. "Watch. See Shika-kun over there?"

Sakura nodded.

"He's looking at us, right?" as Sakura nodded again, the blonde continued. She leaned in close to Sakura, whispering. "A guy always gets jealous when he sees a girl he likes either A) Dancing with another guy, or B) dancing provocatively in front of everyone."

She began to sway her hips in a slow, rolling motion, her dress riding up a little, exposing more leg.

"Ino!" Sakura blushed, protesting. But Ino cut her off.

"Watch Shikamaru, Sakura." She pressed. Emerald eyes found the man's gaze hardening as he glanced at other men that were looking at Ino. His features became somewhat annoyed as he finally turned around, and walked out of sight.

Upon seeing Sakura's shocked face, Ino stopped dancing.

"See? I told you. It works all the time."

Sakura nodded numbly. "But still, this means two things. One, Shikamaru likes you, and you know it. And two, you're _assuming _Sasuke will get jealous."

Sakura was almost about to say, _you're assuming Sasuke likes me, but_ then she stopped herself in realization of what that would entail. Of course Sasuke was supposed to like her. They were getting married. Sakura had forgotten.

Ino smiled. "Yeah, I've known that Shika-kun's been interested in me. And I think I like him a little too, but I don't want to jump into anything while I'm planning your perfect wedding." She winked. "I hope you'll be as considerate for me, one day, Forehead."

Sakura smiled. "You bet, Pig."

Ino grabbed Sakura's hand and lead her to the bar. "Sasuke's looking at us." She informed, ordering them two apple martinis. They were too young to drink, most of them. And yet, no one of authority – not even Tsunade herself – seemed to care.

"Oh yeah?" Sakura asked curiously.

The bartender handed Sakura and Ino their drinks, and Sakura took a small sip. Ino sloshed a straw around the beverage, glancing at Sasuke from her peripheral every now and then.

"I don't think he's too happy that you've got a drink. But he has one too, so he can suck it."

Ino downed the rest of her drink before placing it on the counter. She smiled at Sakura.

"Go ahead, chug it. That'll make him outraged. He'll think you're being careless."

Sakura arched a brow. "That would be careless though." Ino shrugged, indifferently.

"It doesn't matter. We're surrounded by the safest people in Konoha. It's not like we're in any _danger _here. Besides, if we get you drunk enough, Sasuke might have to take extra care of you when he brings you home."

Sakura glanced at her drink, and with a surge of impulse, chugged it. She ordered another and finished that one in no time. "You know what, Pig? That's sneaky and deceptive. And I think I really, really like it."

* * *

What the hell was she _doing?_

First, she prances in with that outrageous outfit – if you could even call it that – on. Then, she heads for the bar and orders too many drinks, that Sasuke lost count. He'd never seen her drank before, and he assumed she was probably a lightweight.

Even Tsunade was a light weight, and she was the Hokage.

Then, if that wasn't bad enough, Ino kept glancing over at Sasuke and whispering things into Sakura's ear, causing her to giggle profusely. She nodded and smiled every now and then.

His eyes were trained on Sakura the entire night. He didn't notice anyone or anything around him. He wasn't even keeping track of how many shots of sake he had at that point.

He watched stoically as the two girls stumbled back to the dance floor.

Vaguely, Sasuke wondered how she was _drunk _and still walking in those enormous, outrageous heels. Even if they did make her legs look long and shapely. Sasuke shook his head, preventing his wandering mind from thinking of Sakura's (very exposed) body any further.

Nothing could have prepared Sasuke for what he saw next.

The dobe came prancing up to Sasuke, all smiles and shit, and asked Sakura to dance.

Sasuke was halfway across the room, and the music was loud, but he watched as Naruto mouthed the words to her, and as she all too gladly accepted, nodded and grabbing his hand.

Sakura hadn't even _asked _him to dance.

Sure, he would have said no, but that wasn't the point. She was supposed to dance with him, not Naruto.

Not that idiot that had two left feet.

Sakura's back faced Naruto as she began to sway her hips lowly, her hands bringing his to her hips. Naruto fell into a comfortable pattern with her, whispering things in her ear as they danced.

What the hell were they doing?

It looked like the two of them were _grinding._

No, no. It didn't look like anything. They were grinding. There was no doubt about that.

Sasuke clenched his teeth, grinding them against each other in anger.

Before he even realized what he was doing, Sasuke stood up and stalked over to the dance floor. His eyes were trained on Sakura's face as he approached the two of them. Roughly, he grabbed Sakura's hand, causing her to break from Naruto's grasp.

"Wha –"

"We're leaving." He stated.

Her eyes widened. "What, why?"

Sasuke didn't reply, but he dragged her away from Naruto, who smiled sympathetically and waved goodbye. Everything around her was blurry; a bunch of different colors and lights.

Before she knew it, cool evening air hit her slightly sweaty skin as she was dragged outside.

Finally regaining herself a little, she yanked her arm out of Sasuke's grasp.

"What are you doing? We can't just leave our own party." She protested, her voice slurring a bit.

"They'll manage." He replied thickly.

Her small hands shoved him away from her. "You're so rude!" she snapped.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Ino's voice, triumphant and cunning, resounded in her ear.

_Told you he'd be jealous._

Part of her regretted doing those things.

She should have known it would only cause them to fight.

"Sakura, you're drunk. You need to go home and rest."

How was it that Sasuke still sounded sober, when she saw him consume at least five shots of sake? He didn't stumble or slur like she did. He merely stared at her, black eyes cold and impassive.

"No, screw that. I want to have _fun." _She emphasized.

He shook his head. "You're going to get yourself into trouble with that kind of fun." He reprimanded, taking her arm once more.

She protested, trying to yank free of his grasp, but to no avail.

"Sakura, don't make me carry you." He warned.

She sighed and huffed, standing her ground. His grip was tight on her arm. She looked up at him through her bangs, her long eyelashes defined by the eyeliner and mascara she wore.

Sasuke swallowed.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura murmured softly.

"What?" He croaked, his composure slowly crumbling.

She motioned with her finger for him to come closer, which he did. Sakura stood on her tippy toes, wrapping her free arm around his neck, and kissed him harshly.

She shut her eyes as her soft lips moved along with his.

Sasuke's eyes – on the other hand – were glued open in shock. _What was she doing?_

A small rush of desire washed through his body, and just as he registered what was going on, Sakura wrenched her arm free from his grasp, and pulled away, running.

She sprinted away from him, relishing the feeling of the cool air slapping against her face as she ran. Stumbling, Sakura tried staying on her feet, just to get as far away from him as possible.

It took Sasuke a moment to form a coherent thought. When he did, he cursed loudly, running off to find the pink-haired girl.

Sakura tripped on a nearby branch, falling on her ankle. She let out a soft yelp as it bent the wrong way. There wasn't a snap sound, much to her relief, but pain still coursed through her leg as she tried to bend it back and forth.

It was definitely sprained badly.

In less than a minute, she felt a presence beside her.

Tears streamed down her face in her overly emotional state of mind. "Sasuke, it hurts…" she sniffled, rubbing her ankle.

She heard footsteps come closer to her as she turned her head to see him. He looked down at her almost pathetically.

Sakura shut her eyes tightly, trying to banish the image from her mind.

Suddenly, she felt arms underneath her, picking her up from the ground. Sasuke lifted her up, cradling her against his chest. Automatically, Sakura's hands clutched Sasuke's shirt as she pressed her face against him. Her nose buried in the crook of his neck as tears seeped through her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun…" she mumbled, only half coherent.

Sasuke didn't reply as he walked the two of them back to their home.

Everything was quiet around them, except for the sound of his footsteps. In Sakura's drunken state, she didn't have the digression needed to hide her honest thoughts. "This is all Ino's fault. If she hadn't made me make you jealous, this wouldn't have happened."

Sasuke didn't say anything, but was mildly surprised. She was trying to make him jealous? But why? He looked down at the small girl in his arms.

"I really wanted to dance with you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke wasn't sure he liked this honest side of Sakura. It made him a little uncomfortable.

She looked up at him with doe-like eyes, wide and hopeful and glassy. "But I really didn't mind kissing you. Can I kiss you again?" she asked, glancing at his lips.

Sasuke shook his head. "No."

Her hopeful eyes dulled a little. "Oh," she mumbled. "Why not?"

Sasuke didn't reply. They had reached their house. He dug into his back pocket, awkwardly trying to hold her as he did so, and reached for the house keys. Quickly inserting them in the lock, the two were safely inside the house within a few seconds.

As soon as they were inside, Sasuke led them upstairs to their room and sat Sakura on the bed. She didn't protest, but instead lay back against the comfortable mattress.

Carefully, he removed her heels and placed them neatly on the floor. He searched her dresser for a clean pair of pajamas and placed them on the bed next to her.

"Here, change into this." He said, turning around to exit the room. But a small hand on his wrist stopped him.

"I can't get the dress off." She admitted.

Sasuke grunted and moved to her side, slowly unzipping the dress from her back, he tugged it down for her, and then promptly exited the room before he could see anything unnecessary.

When she emerged, fully clad in her pajamas, she looked like a child. Her makeup was smeared and her nose red from crying as she hobbled on her good leg.

"You shouldn't be walking." He commanded, coming to her side quickly to help her balance. She nodded as he guided her back to the bed and retrieved a washcloth to clean her face.

He told her to lie down and she did as he said. Sasuke took the covers and pulled them over her, tucking her in. He brushed a stray strand of her hair out of her face, before turning off the lamp in a wordless goodnight.

Little did he know, that it was Sakura's first time ever being tucked into bed.

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	8. s e v e n

**disclaimer - no ownage.**

**warning - lemon at the end ;)**

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.::Beyond This Illusion::.

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**Chapter Seven**

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Sakura woke up with a pounding headache. She really didn't know what had hit her, but as soon as she sat up, a rush of vertigo surged through her body. Her head dizzy and spinning, she collapsed back on the pillow.

She took a few minutes to compose herself before she opened her eyes and tried sitting up more slowly this time. Carefully, her legs slid out of the bed and touched the cool wooden floor. Goosebumps rose on her skin as she climbed out from the warm comforter.

It took a moment for Sakura to realize that Sasuke wasn't in the room.

Usually he'd be taking a shower by now. What time was it anyway?

Sakura glanced at the clock. 7:45 AM.

Damn, it was still that early? Sakura rubbed her tired eyes. She had thought it was later than that. She walked a little clumsily towards the door in search for the raven haired man.

She found him on the couch. Her green eyes lit up curiously despite her pounding headache.

Sakura rarely got a chance to see Sasuke sleeping. Whenever she woke up he was either taking a shower or training or out. He was never still sleeping when she got up.

And yet, here he was, curled up in a comforter, his black spiky hair sticking out in all directions. She smiled softly at the scene before her. He looked cute.

But why was he sleeping on the couch? Why didn't he sleep in bed with her?

Sakura closed her eyes trying to remember last night.

The party…

She opened her eyes in half-remembrance. She didn't quite know everything that happened last night, but she _did _know that they left early for some reason. She also distinctly remembered tripping. Carefully, she rolled her ankle around experimentally. It didn't hurt anymore, really. And she was walking fine, than Kami.

Then she let out an audible gasp.

Today was the wedding!

How could she have forgotten? Sakura had to admit, she was a little more than excited.

IF everything was going according to plan, Ino would be over at 9:00 to help fix her hair and makeup. The reception was at noon, and the reception at 2:00.

She then took a few deep breaths to calm her erratically beating heart.

Deciding that she better make something to eat before Ino got there, Sakura pranced to the kitchen. She boiled tea and decided to have an American Western style breakfast. She'd always liked eggs better than having more traditional breakfasts. So she set to scrambling eggs as she set the table for herself and Sasuke.

Once she was finished preparing breakfast, Sakura cautiously tip-toed to the living room where Sasuke was still sleeping.

She kinda wished he snored, so she had something to tease him about. But he remained still. She leaned over the couch and examined his sleeping form before poking his nose. His eyes shot open immediately.

"Good morning, sleepy head." Sakura greeted, rather amused.

Sasuke grunted before sitting up. He rubbed his temples, a bit disoriented. "What time is it?"

Sakura glanced at the clock. "Eight." She said cheerfully. "I made breakfast, so get up."

He yawned. Wow, no wonder he never wanted her seeing him when he first woke up. Sasuke was _not _a morning person.

Sakura left the room momentarily to retrieve medicine for his headache that she had also taken. She returned a moment later with a glass of water and handed it to him. He looked at her questioningly, and half annoyed.

"For the headache." She explained, to which he accepted the water and pill gratefully. She watched him swallow a few sips of water.

She really was curious if he remembered what happened last night, but she also didn't want to pester him since he just got up. So instead she walked to the kitchen telling him she'd wait for him.

A few moments later Sasuke trudged into the kitchen clad in only his boxers, which caused Sakura to pointedly avert her gaze as to not stare at him. Sure she'd seen him shirtless before. She'd seen plenty of men shirtless before. But knowing that there was only a thin layer of material covering him from her eyes was sort of embarrassing.

Unable to help herself, she glanced at him before staring down at her food, putting a large forkful in her mouth. From the looks of it, he had a pretty decent package. She felt herself blush just thinking about that. She closed her eyes and took a sip of tea.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked, trying to change the topic.

"Excellently." He mumbled sarcastically.

He sat down and began eating quietly.

"So are you ready for today?" she asked conversationally. He didn't look up at her as he shrugged.

"It doesn't really make a difference."

She nodded, trying not to visibly frown. Of course he wouldn't care.

Once they finished Sakura took the plates and washed them off. "Ino will be over soon, so you should shower and get ready now." She advised.

Sasuke walked out of the room without another word, and as soon as he did, Sakura let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding.

* * *

"Forehead, where did you go last night?" Ino exclaimed as she slammed the door open, stomping into the house.

Sakura smiled sheepishly. "Honestly Pig, I really don't remember."

"Of course you don't! You're a lightweight!"

Sakura giggled. "Knowing you, it was your fault."

Ino shrugged, not denying it. "So was he jealous, or what? I saw the way he dragged you away from Naruto." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Dragged me…? Really, I don't remember. I just remember that we left early, and I remember tripping and spraining my ankle, and that he had to carry me home."

"He carried you home?" Ino whispered excitedly, as to make sure Sasuke didn't hear her from upstairs.

"Don't worry my ankle's fine. Thanks for asking." Sakura replied dryly.

"I know, it's fine, you're a freaking medic. Oh shut up." Ino waved.

"Well we better get to glamming me up. You were late." Sakura accused with a wry smile. Ino shrugged.

"What can I say? I had to do myself first. Now, let's make you beautiful."

The two girls went to the bathroom downstairs (Sasuke was showering upstairs) and got to Sakura's makeup and hair.

"You excited?" Ino asked as she curled one of Sakura's locks.

She smiled and nodded.

"Hey, don't move!" Ino scolded, letting go of the curl and allowing it to bounce past Sakura's shoulder.

"I'm nervous." Sakura murmured, staring at herself in the mirror. She could hardly recognize her own reflection with all the makeup on. It didn't even look like her.

"All brides are. Now be careful with your hair, I haven't sprayed it yet. Let's just get your kimono on before it's too late."

Sakura stood and allowed Ino to slip the gown on her.

"Alright, now cover your eyes." Ino instructed as she prayed all around Sakura's hair. She played with the curls, tousling them so they looked natural.

Ino stepped aside and surveyed her work. "Perfect. Now let's go see if your soon-to-be-hubby is ready."

Sakura lifted the long _uchikake_ and slipped on her heels, walking out with Ino.

At least Sasuke wasn't complaining that he had to get dressed up. She wondered what he looked like in his black kimono. She'd never seen him in anything other than his ninja attire before.

But when he slipped out in his formalwear, Sakura had to suppress a gasp. He looked more gorgeous than usual. His pale skin contrasted with the black kimono, his black eyes piercing. She looked and saw the Uchiha symbol stitched into the material, and remembered that soon her own clothes would have the same symbol.

This was really happening. They were really married. For some reason, this moment was all so much for Sakura. It put everything into perspective. It suddenly felt very _real, _despite the fact that they were already married. But something about seeing the two of them dressed like this, made it real in Sakura's mind.

"Well doesn't someone look dashing." Ino commented. "We'd better get there fast; it's almost 11:30."

Sakura walked quickly, avoiding Sasuke's gaze. She failed to see him unable to take his eyes off of her.

* * *

The ceremony was traditional. They held it in a small shrine on the outskirts of Konoha. There were cherry blossom trees all around, compliments of Ino. She had picked the spot. The ceremony held more people than normally expected though.

The whole time Sakura's heart was pounding.

She smiled as Kakashi took her hand and led her down the aisle. Ino and Naruto were up at the altar with Sasuke, who looked at her with an expression Sakura couldn't decipher.

Kakashi placed Sakura's hand into Sasuke's who helped her up the altar. They faced each other. It was like déjà vu.

She couldn't even hear as Tsunade spoke their vows. No one knew that they were already married. Sakura wondered if this was a bad thing for them to do. Get married twice like this. Would it bring bad luck? She didn't know, but she thought a little prayer to Kami as they recited the words Tsunade instructed for them to do.

"Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Sasuke leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. And strangely, Sakura didn't feel anything. She didn't feel fireworks or tingles or flips in her stomach. His lips were cold against hers. They were just, _there. _And when he pulled away, Sakura had to fake the smile she gave him.

This was what the rest of her life was going to be like.

Everyone cheered and soon scattered to where the reception was to be held. Sakura and Sasuke were supposed to change out of their kimonos now and change into Western style wedding attire.

Sakura decided that she liked seeing him in a tuxedo much better than in his kimono.

She took a deep breath, standing outside the reception hall. Turning, she looked at Sasuke who at that moment glanced at her. Giving him a reassuring smile she cupped his cheek briefly. "You're doing great," she encouraged, "Just a little bit longer and all this will be over."

Sasuke nodded and slid his hand into hers – probably for show – as they entered the reception hall.

"Happy birthday!" everyone shouted as they entered.

Sasuke accursedly glared at Sakura – who only smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I had to." She smiled, squeezing his hand.

"Hey, teme, you're finally legal!" Naruto shouted, running up to them.

"Dobe, go away." Sasuke mumbled irritably. Sakura only giggled and separated from Sasuke, allowing him to have a few minutes with Naruto. She walked over to the snack table and popped a piece of sushi in her mouth.

"Congratulations." Tenten and Hinata said, walking up to her with Ino. Sakura smiled and nodded. "Thank you, guys. Hopefully, Sasuke won't kill me for doing this. He didn't want a birthday party."

Sakura giggled as Ino rolled her eyes. "He totally wanted one." He convinced.

Sakura looked around the room. Everyone was here. The whole Rookie Nine, hell even the Kazekage was here with his siblings. Everyone took turns congratulating her. Sakura was a little jealous that Sasuke didn't have to talk to all these people, with him being all antisocial and everything, but she took it all in stride.

Once all the formalities were over with, the music that was playing in the background got louder, signaling it was time to dance.

Sakura was nervous, knowing that Sasuke really didn't want to dance. But what surprised her was when Sasuke walked up to where she was sitting and held his hand out expectantly. Sakura blinked at him.

"Well?" he asked impatiently.

"But Sasuk – "

"Sakura, take my hand before I change my mind." Sasuke commanded.

Sakura smiled and wrapped her fingers around his as she stood, walking to the dance floor.

"You don't have to do this, you know." She whispered as they began to sway.

"I know." He said, looking directly into her eyes. "But you wanted to dance with me, remember?"

And suddenly, Sakura _did _remember.

She remembered confessing that to him last night, along with doing a few other choice things that she rather would have not remembered. Sakura blushed and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I forgot about that. I'm sorry, I was really drunk."

Sasuke snorted. "Yeah, I could tell."

Sakura smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. She giggled softly. "I'm such a bad drunk."

Sasuke's hands came to rest on her hips. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Did you honestly think I'd let your birthday go unnoticed?" she smiled wryly.

He shrugged. "No, but I hoped."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Hey teme, stop hogging her!" Naruto complained grabbing Sakura out of Sasuke's grasp. "Geez, you get to spend the rest of your life with her."

Naruto quickly took Sasuke's place, wrapping his arms around Sakura. He looked more relaxed holding her than Sasuke did, and even he knew it. She watched as Sakura melted in Naruto's arms, completely at ease. She smiled and kissed Naruto's cheek lovingly, before resting her head on his chest.

Sakura locked eyes with Sasuke and smiled, mouthing 'sorry'. Sasuke turned and walked towards a table to sit down.

At that moment, he realized that this whole thing was for her. Everyone could care less about throwing Sasuke a wedding, or a party. This was all for Sakura.

He watched as Kakashi interjected and stole Sakura from Naruto.

He watched as they danced together. He watched as Sakura lifted Kakashi's slowly wandering hands and smacked his arm playfully. He watched as she laughed.

He watched.

* * *

"I am so tired!" Sakura sighed as the two of them entered the house. Sakura dropped all of their wedding gifts at the front of the floor and immediately tore off her heels and collapsed onto the couch.

"For the record, all that planning was not worth it. You totally had the right idea, getting married on the fly."

Sasuke shook his head and headed towards their bedroom.

Inside Sakura's heart beat was racing. She wasn't sure if she could go through with what she was planning, but she knew she had to make an effort.

She watched him, sitting on their bed as Sasuke removed his suit and tie.

Her head tilted to the side as she ran her fingers through her hair, trying to loosen the curls. He began to unbutton his shirt.

Sakura stood and walked towards him. "Wait, let me." she murmured, removing his hands from his shirt. She slowly unbuttoned each button, and looked up at him.

She stood on her tippy toes and whispered in his ear, "I think it's time."

Sasuke grabbed Sakura's now wandering hands and held them in place. "No."

She pouted. "Why not?"

"Because you're not ready."

Sakura tore her hands from his grasp. "How do you know if I'm ready or not?" She stomped her foot in anger.

"You're only doing this because you feel like you have to."

"No I'm not," she protested, "While it is the perfect time, that's not the only reason. I'm ready, Sasuke." Sakura bit her lip. "Besides, don't you think it'd be a good birthday gift?"

"Sakura this isn't a game."

"I know it's not. Kami, you think I don't know? Stop pretending like you actually care. I'm telling you I'm ready." Tears began to fill her eyes. How could he be rejecting her like this? "Or, are you ashamed of me?"

Sasuke's nostrils flared in anger. "Ashamed? I just _married _you. Again. And you have the nerve to say – "

"Okay, I didn't mean it like that! But I didn't think you'd react like this…" she trailed off. "I just…I don't want to wait anymore."

Sasuke was silent as he looked down at her.

Sakura couldn't take the silence. She looked up at him with wide eyes. "Sasuke, please?"

Her hands smoothed across his chest, sliding his shirt off of him. Her hands trembled nervously, but that didn't stop her.

He always scared her more than anything.

And before she knew it, her back was slammed against the wall. She gasped as she felt Sasuke's face so close to her own. "You really think you want this?" he asked his breath hot.

She shut her eyes tightly and nodded. "Yes, Sasuke…yes…"

He pressed himself against her and hoisted her up so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. She felt him pressing against her, his body hard and smooth.

Instantly she felt tingles of desire pulsing through her. Sakura opened her eyes just in time to see Sasuke's lips crashing down on her own.

Really, she shouldn't have expected him to be gentle with her.

This was Sasuke after all. He probably wasn't trying to hurt her, but he usually hurt people without knowing or intending to. He didn't know how to act around people, and Sakura to venture to guess that he didn't know how to _be _with a girl either.

She could assume that he'd tackle it like a challenge, an obstacle to overcome. Here was no thought or emotion involved; just touches and feeling.

She felt them moving as he dropped her onto the bed, crawling on top of her.

Sakura struggled to keep up with him. She wondered what he was thinking.

His hands unzipped her dress and tore it from her body in an instant. He didn't even stop to think about if he may have ripped the dress or not. He was in an animalistic, hungered state. He was, after all, a man.

He pulled away for a moment and stared at her. She looked back at him, wondering what he was looking for in her eyes. Their breaths mingled as Sakura tried to regain her breath. Her chest heaved up and down, and Sasuke's fingers were already unclasping her bra. She felt the cool air hit her exposed skin and she squirmed underneath his intense gaze. He unnerved her. It was more than being embarrassed. She was petrified of what he might think of her. But Sasuke didn't waste any time on her breasts. He immediately went to pulling down his pants.

It seemed he had no qualms about moving fast. Sakura wondered if this was what it was supposed to feel like, but she didn't think about it long enough to maybe answer, no.

His lips were on hers again as he pressed himself, hard and smooth, against her. Only a small layer of clothing separated them now.

Sakura's hands gripped his shoulders, smoothing down his chest, trailing down until they reached the waistband of his boxers. She tugged them down and he kicked them off, somewhere across the room.

Sakura wanted so desperately to say something, but she was terrified that she'd ruin the moment. She lifted her hips as he tugged down her underwear.

Sasuke hovered over her and she felt him tapping at her entrance. His hair tickled her face as she opened her eyes (when were they closed?).

"Sasuke…" she murmured, cupping his cheek. She wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him to continue.

Sasuke wasn't stupid. He knew she was a virgin. And he knew this would hurt her. He thought it ironic that he was always the one hurting her.

Sasuke somewhat snapped out of his animalistic state, realizing that he couldn't be rough with her like this. She didn't deserve it.

He bit her lip. "This will hurt." He murmured. She nodded, shifting slightly. And within a second he was inside her, figuring it was best to do it quickly. He thrust hard into her and watched as her eyes shut tightly in pain, her lips parting in a silent scream. She didn't yell out or tear, but Sasuke watched as her eyebrows furrowed together, and her breathing became quick and sharp.

Her fingernails dug into his skin.

It took all his willpower to not pound her into the bed. She was so tight and hot, clutching around him at every angle. Sasuke kissed her jaw, and fondled her breast, trying to distract her. But really, he didn't know what to do. It wasn't like he'd had any experience before.

After a few moments, her breathing leveled out more and she opened her eyes. Throughout it all, Sasuke waited patiently for the pain to pass. Sakura whispered for him to go, and that he did.

Slowly, he removed himself from her, only to thrust back in, just as hard as the first time. It took Sakura a few minutes to get used to his size and thrusts. But eventually, she was angling her hips towards him to try and receive him better.

Before they knew it, they had both increased the pace.

And for the first time, he heard her moan. It wasn't restrained, and Sasuke was sure that it even took Sakura off guard, because she looked embarrassed to have made such a noise. Sasuke thrust deep into her in the same spot, realizing that it was sensitive for her. Another soft moan tore from her lips without her permission.

Sasuke began to grunt, feeling her tight walls clenching around his shaft.

They both panted heavily.

The pleasure coiled, causing Sasuke to quicken his pace. Sakura felt herself on the edge.

It came unexpectedly. One moment, Sasuke was thrusting into her hard and demanding, and the next, he was spilling his seeds inside of her.

Sasuke collapsed, panting heavily. Sakura felt the pleasure that was building up, slowly begin to ebb away. She panted as Sasuke pulled out of her and rolled to the side.

It was all over faster than she imagined.

Her head turned to see Sasuke's eyes closed. His eyes opened, as if he felt her staring at him. She leaned over and placed a soft kiss to his lips. Sasuke would have pulled away, but he didn't think that'd be right. So he simply let her kiss him, not returning it, yet not rejecting it. And when she pulled away and turned so that her back was facing him, he couldn't help but regret what just happened.

It didn't feel right.

Sakura wiped her eyes before the tears could fall.

Neither of them slept the whole night.

* * *

**A/N - if you ask me, this was sorta the long awaited chapter. Now that you read it, how was it? Review! (:**


	9. e i g h t

**disclaimer - don't own.**

**warning: mature content ;P**

* * *

Beyond This Illusion

* * *

**.::Chapter Eight::.**

* * *

Sakura blinked.

She didn't really know what to expect when she woke up. But part of her expected (hoped) that Sasuke would at least be lying next to her for once. She stretched in bed, rolling over to notice an empty spot next to her. She tried to not feel disappointment, but it washed over her before she could help it.

She sighed, closing her eyes tightly.

Suddenly, Sakura was very aware of how sore her legs felt. She blushed slightly, burying her face in the pillow before carefully getting out of bed.

Now all they had to do was wait.

Although, she doubted that she'd get pregnant on their first try.

Sakura trudged down the hallway – albeit slowly. She noticed that Sasuke wasn't anywhere in the house. _He's probably out training somewhere, _Sakura thought solemnly. Didn't he have the decency to wait until she woke?

Sakura let out a soft laugh, surprising herself. Of course, Sasuke wouldn't wait.

She ate her breakfast in silence, causing her to feel unnerved. It was unnatural for her to be by herself other than when she was at the hospital or on a mission, immersed in her work. It was strange to eat a meal alone, she decided.

Once she finished, Sakura set out to the hospital to check up on her patients.

She changed into her work uniform, put on a smile, and pretended that last night wasn't one of the worst nights of her life.

* * *

"Shit, teme. I didn't even think you were stupid enough to – HEY WATCH IT!" Naruto shouted, as Sasuke swung his fist at Naruto.

"Dobe, why would I watch it? The whole point of a spar is to hit you." He replied smoothly.

Naruto brushed him off, flinging a kunai at Sasuke – who dodged it effortlessly. They weren't really sparring anymore, just screwing around.

"Whatever. Anyway, like I was saying, even I didn't think you were stupid enough to leave Sakura alone today. Weren't you guys, you know, busy last night?" Naruto suggested, winking his eye.

Sasuke didn't know why, but anger rose up in his chest at Naruto's comment. He didn't like the fact that Naruto was talking so openly about this. It made Sasuke uncomfortable that Naruto knew, but then again, it was only normal for a married couple to consummate their marriage. But for some reason, it felt weird for him to talk about Sakura like that.

"Why does it matter? She'll manage." The two swiftly evaded each other's attacks, while still continuing their conversation. Naruto sent a swift kick at Sasuke's legs to knock him over, but Sasuke jumped and kicked Naruto in the chest in return, sending him flying back a few feet.

Without hesitation, Naruto leapt back up onto his feet. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Well maybe it's just me, but that seems pretty shitty to do."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Didn't Naruto know he wasn't the type to care about that stuff? He knew that Sakura knew that, and that she'd understand.

"It's none of your business, dobe." Sasuke hissed, punching Naruto in the chest.

"Hey, calm down asshole." Naruto growled, indignantly. He dropped his fighting stance and his eyes glazed over. "It's just…"

Sasuke too dropped his stance and paused, waiting for Naruto to continue. Cerulean blue eyes soon met onyx.

"A long time ago, something happened." Naruto began. Sasuke arched an eyebrow in confusion, but he remained silent. Naruto took a deep breath, feeling a little guilty about sharing this with Sasuke, but he felt that Sasuke had a right to know.

"It was one of Sakura's first solo missions. She was too distracted and got caught off guard." Naruto's fists clenched. "Damn Cloud ninjas. Ganged up on her."

"But she got away." Sasuke stated, not liking where the story was going.

Naruto shrugged. "Sure, but not before those fuckers…"

Sasuke's eyebrows pinched together further. "Not before they _what?_" he hissed lowly.

Naruto closed his eyes, fighting off the anger. "Let's just say, Sakura wasn't completely innocent when you two had fun last night."

At this, Sasuke was outraged. What was Naruto implying? That she wasn't a virgin? But he'd felt… "What are you talking about, you idiot? I –"

"There's more than one way to rape someone." Naruto mumbled, cutting Sasuke off.

Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief. He refused to believe what Naruto was saying. But Naruto had no reason to lie about something this serious.

"Tsunade-baachan doesn't let her go on solo missions anymore. Sakura gets really mad about that, but I think she understands."

Sasuke felt the anger pooling in his veins. "Who did it?" he roared.

"I already took care of them." Naruto shot back. "But still," he said, more softly this time, "that's why I was worried about Sakura. Maybe I should have told you sooner. But, then again, if you didn't notice anything was wrong with her last night, then maybe she's over it."

Sasuke's anger subsided. He knew Naruto would have avenged her. He didn't know how Sakura could 'get over' being raped, but she seemed perfectly fine last night. She didn't look uncomfortable or even nervous, really. But then again, she could have been hiding her feelings.

Sasuke took a deep breath. "I didn't hurt her." Sasuke grumbled, trying to convince himself of that. Sakura wouldn't have agreed to any of this if she was uncomfortable with having sex. She knew what marrying him would entail. And she had agreed without any qualms.

"Hey, where are you going?" Naruto called out as Sasuke walked away.

Without pausing, Sasuke mumbled, "home."

* * *

When Sasuke got back, Sakura was nowhere to be found. Which either meant that she was at the hospital or Ichiraku. But probably the former. He wasn't sure why, but something compelled him to go to the hospital, just to check up on her. He didn't know what he do or say once he got there, but he had this sudden urge to _see _her. Just to make sure she was alright.

He needed to know she was okay.

Sasuke was jarred from his thoughts as the front door opened, and Sakura looked at Sasuke, somewhat surprised.

"Oh, you're home." She whispered. Sakura wasn't sure how awkward things would be, but she figured it'd be best to just pretend that nothing happened last night. It be best to just move on with their lives.

There were so many thoughts running through Sasuke's mind, he had trouble organizing them. That's when he blurted out, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Sakura – confused – shut the door behind her and walked into the house a few steps. "Tell you what?" she questioned slowly, afraid she was getting in trouble for something. She felt like she was getting reprimanded by her parents for doing something wrong.

Sasuke looked tense; on edge. "Tell me about what happened on your solo mission."

Sakura's eyes widened. "How do you know?" she asked in shock, frozen on the spot. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Sasuke looked at her incredulously. Who else would tell him besides the dobe? "Naruto." He replied, as if it was that obvious.

Sakura brought her hands to her face, covering her eyes. "Damnit, Naruto." She muttered. Quickly dropping her hands she murmured, "Look, I'm alright. That was a long time ago. It happens to konoichi all the time."

She was more upset that Sasuke wasn't around this morning than what had happened a few years ago. Sasuke walked up to her slowly.

"Sakura." He warned lowly. "I could have hurt you."

Sakura wanted to laugh. He hurt her all the time without even knowing it and _now _he decides to care.

"Please, Sasuke. Just drop it. Forget all about it."

She wanted to walk past him but he blocked her way. "Look, Sasuke. I'm not pregnant this time. It didn't work. I went to the hospital today to check. So, that obviously means we're going to have to try again. And if you can't get over this, it's not going to work."

"How would you even be able to tell this soon?"

Sakura shrugged. "Tsunade would be able to detect another chakra inside me the second I become pregnant. There was none." She stated blandly.

Sasuke turned his head. He didn't like the idea of having sex with Sakura to begin with. It was just a complication, albeit a necessary one. Now he was even more distasteful with the idea, knowing what he knew now.

It wasn't that he was disgusted that another man had touched her before, no it wasn't that. He knew that he was going to feel weird now, like he had to be careful not to hurt her, despite what she says.

"You can't back out of this now," Sakura reminded him, trying to disguise her hurt. "It's too late. So just forget about it, okay? I sure did."

Sakura walked away without giving Sasuke time to reply.

* * *

They were upstairs now. Still silent, after the quiet and awkward dinner that they shared. But really, what could they say? Sakura knew Sasuke wasn't going to let this go. She was a little mad at Naruto for telling him, because she knew something like this would happen.

Sakura fidgeted with her fingers as Sasuke quietly closed the door behind them. The day had flew by, and it was already night. He was wearing a black tee shirt and shorts. Sakura wondered how he looked so calm right now. He almost looked _bored._

But Sakura knew better.

Her gaze met his and his eyes told what his lips wouldn't say.

_I can't let this go._

Sakura swallowed and closed her eyes. She had to make Sasuke forget if she had any hope of having a family with him. It must have been obvious that Sakura was nervous because he sighed heavily, "Sakura."

Her heart hammered against her chest. If she was going to do what she planned on doing, it'd be a bold move. He might even reject her. But if she didn't try now, they'd be ruined. Far worse than what they already were. "I know." She assured, not really knowing what she was reassuring. She avoided his gaze carefully. "Maybe you should sit down." She offered, her soft green eyes trailing to the bed that she sat down on.

Wordlessly, he complied, his expression not once faltering. He sat down at the edge of the bed, his weight leaning towards her slightly. His posture, painfully perfect. He was tense.

"You're going to need to relax for this to work, you know." She informed.

"I am relaxed." He shot back, his voice deep.

But Sakura shook her head. She knew better. Vaguely, she wondered if Sasuke knew what she was up to. He seemed aware. "No," she mumbled, crawling over to him. She kneeled behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders, causing him to tense even further.

"What are you doing?" he hissed.

"Helping you relax. And before you tell me that you don't need help, I'm going to tell you that I know."

Sasuke took a deep breath, obviously displeased. But he made no movement to pull away, causing Sakura to smile. Her fingers lifted his shirt up and over his head, tossing it aside. Placing her hands on his shoulders once more, she began to knead the muscles, working out the many knots that he had. She applied a small amount of chakra to her fingertips to enhance the procedure.

"Now clear your mind." She instructed softly, her voice hushed.

Sasuke snorted. "What is this, yoga class?"

Her eyes narrowed as she massaged him. "Shut up, just do it."

Sasuke closed his eyes, relaxing his shoulders. He hated to admit that Sakura's therapeutic massaging skills were superb. He was beginning to feel sedated.

Sakura peered over his shoulder to look at his calm features, immediately deciding that she liked him best this way.

"Were you scared?" Sasuke asked after a few moments of comfortable silence.

"I thought I told you to…" she sighed. "Yes, I was. I kept wishing for Naruto to come." She admitted quietly.

"I'm sorry." Sasuke replied, frowning.

"Were you a virgin?" she asked randomly, moving to massage his back. Sasuke leaned his head back, his eyes still closed. He heard her soft breaths puffing out. In and out…

"What do _you _think?"

"No?" Sakura attempted, unsure.

Sasuke frowned again, wondering why Sakura would think he's been sexually active before. Did he ever present himself that way before? No, Uchiha's didn't do that.

"I was." Sasuke corrected. "I was always more focused on other things, or haven't you noticed?"

Sakura marveled at how casually they were talking about this topic.

"Are you relaxed now?"

Sasuke didn't reply for a few moments, too lazy to form a reply. "You tell me…"

Sakura smiled softly. "I'd like to think so."

He turned around to face her and with one look he had her nervous all over again. Not the kind of butterflies you get in your stomach when your crush smiles at you, but something different. Sakura felt weird being exposed in front of Sasuke. As much as she hated to admit it, she was always looking for his approval. So being exposed with _him _of all people was…

Him and his damned perfect body. Sakura was never particularly insecure about herself, but she knew she wasn't like _him. _

What was even worse, he damn well knew she was nervous. "Are _you _relaxed?" he retorted, arching his eyebrow.

Sakura shook her head, and Sasuke leaned his body towards hers, causing her to fall back against the mattress. Her heart hammered. Sasuke hovered above her, his breath fanning out across her cheeks. He took a moment to absorb her, noticing all the details that he normally wouldn't pay attention to on a daily basis. Like the fact that if you looked hard enough, you could see a few small freckles adorning her pale face. Or how her green eyes sparkled with flashes of yellow.

Sakura shut her eyes tightly until she felt something warm pressing against her neck.

"What are you doing?" she questioned timidly, all her previous confidence gone. Sasuke felt like he had to reassure her that he _did _care for her, even if he wasn't in love with her.

He felt guilty about what Naruto told him, and he knew he was doing this for the wrong reasons.

"Helping you relax." he responded, mirroring her words from earlier.

Sasuke's lips trailed along her neck, sucking. He still wasn't gentle, but he wasn't being rough either. Sakura felt her skin tingle where he kissed. Honestly, she never expected this from him. It seemed out of place. But that didn't stop Sakura from relishing the moment.

"Now, don't you get the wrong idea from this." He warned against her flesh, causing her to exhale slowly. There were many things she wanted to say, but she settled with,

"I won't."

Before she had a chance to realize it, Sasuke was unzipping her shirt and shrugging it off her shoulders. _I guess he did know what I was up to then, _Sakura mused. She shivered lightly as the cool air, conflicting with the warmth of him – hit her skin.

Sasuke sat up, his legs straddling her hips. He quickly lifted her shirt over her head, then tugged at the bandages that kept her chest bindings in place. It unloosened slowly, causing Sakura to hold her breath anxiously.

Her eyes squinted shut, scared to open them. But curiosity got the best of her as she peeked through one eye to gauge his expression.

Much to her dismay, he remained blank and unreadable. He stared at her chest for what seemed like an eternity to her, but it was only a few seconds. Then – almost hesitantly – his hands cupped her mounds, allowing Sakura to finally exhale.

Awkwardly, his hands squeezed, testing out the waters. It was different from last night. The two of them weren't caught up in the heat of any moment, so for the most part, they were sane. Sakura couldn't really describe the feeling that pooled in her stomach. They both froze when she let out a soft, involuntary whimper.

Sakura bit her lip, her cheeks flushing several shades of red. But Sasuke had already moved on, his hands now at the hem of her skirt.

The silence was starting to unnerve her. But it wasn't like reassurance was part of Sasuke's persona.

Lifting her hips, Sakura watched as Sasuke slid off her skirt in one swift, fluid movement. Her undershorts quickly followed suit. Now, the only thing covering her was her underwear, whereas he was fully clothed.

Even though Sasuke had seen her naked last night, she still felt his gaze weigh heavy upon her. Sakura shifted uncomfortably. Then, she slipped her fingers into the waistband of his shorts in a bold move to even out the playing field.

It was at that moment when a horrible thought came to mind. What if…he didn't find her attractive enough? What if he couldn't … get an erection? Last night they were probably both drunk from the wedding, so their hormones were affected. But tonight…

Sakura was (thankfully) interrupted from her thoughts when Sasuke unzipped his shorts, allowing Sakura to take them off. She carelessly threw them across the room, not bothering to see where they landed. Her hands smoothed across his perfectly sculpted abs, feeling his taut muscles. Her fingers traced over small scars that adorned his otherwise perfect skin. She then took advantage of this rare opportunity to whisper,

"You have amazing abs, you know that?" her eyes hungrily took in his perfection, her own anxiety momentarily subsided. She almost forgot her nakedness. Sasuke snorted at her random outburst.

Then, her eyes trailed down to his boxers. He didn't look particularly hard, but he might just need a little stimulation. Without glancing up at him, her hands moved past his belly button, where a small trail of stray hairs lay. Sakura had never found 'happy trails' particularly appealing, but somehow, he made them the sexiest thing ever. She dove in for the kill, touching his length.

This time, it was Sasuke who sharply took in a breath.

Sakura wrapped her fingers around him, giving him a gentle squeeze. She'd never done this before, and although she was a doctor, she didn't exactly know the extent of which this particular anatomy was sensitive.

To her own surprise, (and relief) Sakura felt him stiffen in her grip. She glanced up at Sasuke hesitantly. She didn't really know what to expect, but she didn't expect him to be staring directly at her. And quite intently, too. He was smooth in her grip. Slowly, she began to pump her fist, testing the waters. Sakura watched as his eyelids began to droop, his gaze becoming unfocused. His head bent down lower until it was resting on her shoulder. Sakura could hear his quiet, restrained pants as she continued stroking him.

Sakura was acutely aware of him, yet confused. Was he enjoying it? Did it feel good enough. Sakura bit her lip, trying to refrain from blurting out something stupid like, "Does it feel good?"

Sakura – realizing that she said that aloud – mentally slapped herself.

Sasuke lifted his head slowly, his eyes clouded with lust. Her hands began to slow their movements as she watched him.

Sakura blushed heavily. "Sorry, I didn't mean to…ask that. You just," she let out a soft, nervous laugh, "you look cute."

Sasuke gaze momentarily focused again enough for him to murmur, "You're weird." To which Sakura nodded in agreement. Her fingers wound through his hair, her eyes examining his face.

"_You're _pretty." She observed innocently.

Sasuke shook his head and sighed. "Sakura, you're so – "

" – Weird, annoying? Yeah, I know. But you're pretty."

Sakura almost forgot that her hand was still wrapped around his manhood. Hesitantly, she continued. But in the blink of an eye, Sasuke had both her hands pinned above her head.

Sakura figured that Sasuke hated not being in control. He didn't like his feelings getting the best of him. Sakura ceased all thought as she felt him press against her. Sakura – unable to help herself – arched her back, trying to feel more of him.

"Sakura."

Honestly, she didn't think she could ever get tired of hearing him say her name. Sakura was so lost in the moment, trying to fuel the small tingles she felt from below, that she could hardly concentrate.

"Mmm, what?" she slurred.

"Open your eyes."

Nothing was heard other than their ragged breaths mingling with each other. Sakura hadn't even realized her eyes were closed to begin with. She found herself staring into his dark orbs.

Vaguely, she wondered if he was still wary about the whole thing. Because of what happened on the mission.

But then she looked into his eyes and realized that he was thinking something else entirely. It was probably because she called him pretty.

"Right about now, you're going to remind me that you're not in love with me. But really, you don't have to. I already know that." The last part she tried hard not to mutter bitterly.

His face was blank as he observed her. "I wasn't, actually."

She flushed. "Oh."

Sakura's hands cupped his cheeks, bringing him closer. He had long since let go of her wrists. "Well then, sorry about that. But just know that I won't ever stop loving you. I think everyone needs someone to love them, whether they know it or not."

Despite her calm appearance, it wasn't easy saying this to him. Every time she brought this subject up, she risked ruining everything. Taking matters into her own hands, Sakura pushed down his boxers.

Well, she didn't have to worry about him being turned on after all. That's at least gotta mean something.

"I'm sorry, Sakura." Sasuke whispered so softly, that Sakura thought she was imagining things. He shifted so that he was hovering above her, bangs tickling her face. And then within seconds, Sasuke was inside her. She inhaled a soft gasp at the feel of him stretching her walls. She was still a little sore. But nonetheless, she lifted her hips, trying to adjust to him.

Sasuke pulled out slowly, unsurely, then slammed back into her. She heard a low guttural sound emitting from the back of his throat.

Sakura couldn't see his facial expression, because his face was buried in the crook of her neck. He continued to thrust at an unhurried, yet hard pace, filling her to the hilt.

Sakura wasn't a moaner, really, Sasuke observed. He lifted his head to see her eyes shut tightly in concentration as she attempted to even out her breathing, which was now coming out as short and staggered pants.

He heard her mewl quietly, and guessed she was getting pleasure out of it too. Last night, he hadn't really paid attention to whether or not _she _was feeling anything. All he could think about was getting it over with.

Sasuke quickened his pace, gripping her hips tightly.

Sakura's eyes opened slightly, her lids drooping lowly.

"Sasu…ahh…" her lips parted in pleasure as he pounded into her. Her back arched into him.

For some reason, Sasuke found himself wanting to see her pleasured face even more. It was erotic, and a turn on. He slid his left hand up to cup a breast, kneading the flesh sensually. The pleasure was building up, so he slowed his pace.

Sakura's hands gripped his, pushing his hand against her breast. Her hands slid up his arm and wound around his neck. Sasuke never really viewed Sakura as a sexual woman, but in this moment, she looked the part. He didn't want to admit that it suited her.

Sakura's orgasm caught her off guard. One minute she was grabbing onto him for dear life with each thrust, the next, her head thrown back in absolute bliss.

She'd never experienced this sort of pleasure before. A low moan tore from her throat as the waves coursed through her being. Sasuke felt her walls clamping tightly around him, and after a few more thrusts he met the same fate as her.

He collapsed on top of her, spent.

Sakura lay there in the aftermath for a moment, trying to process what just happened. Sasuke rolled off her slowly, as to not crush her. She listened to their heavy pants filling the room.

After her heart beat and breathing calmed down, Sakura turned her head to face him. He returned her gaze, looking at her in a way she'd never seen him look at her before.

"Sakura, you have to understand why I reacted the way I did…" he murmured.

She nodded slightly, reaching out to stroke his hair. Sasuke's hand caught hers and lowered it from his head. She closed her eyes, a tear sliding down. She just wanted to forget that damn mission. She wanted to act like it never happened. Like their _filthy _hands never touched her.

Sakura was caught off guard as she felt his lips press against hers. Another tear slid down her cheek as she returned the kiss, her free hand tangling in his raven locks desperately. Her lips parted, allowing him to deepen the kiss. He pulled her close to him, so that their naked bodies were flush against each other. The lack of oxygen made her head spin.

And just as quickly as it came, it ended. Sasuke released his grip on her hand, but draped his arm across her stomach, closing his eyes.

Sakura wondered if she imagined the entire thing.

* * *

**A/N - sorry guys, this was long overdue. Hope you enjoyed (: **

**Review!**


	10. n i n e

**diclaimer - I own nothing that is not mine!**

**a/n - yay, I finally got a new laptop charger! Huzzuh! Yay for more freqent updates! -dances-**

* * *

Beyond This Illusion

* * *

**.::Chapter Nine::.**

* * *

"Saku-chan, don't you think you should, er, lay off on the missions?"

Sakura glanced at her brother in all but blood in confusion.

"Why?"

The Kyuubi vessel sighed dramatically. "Well, I thought it was obvious."

_Wow, something that Naruto thinks is obvious, _Sakura mused to herself. _I must be loosing it._

Sakura paused in her ramen consumption to look at him fully, waiting for him to elaborate. Naruto – who wasn't as polite – continued shoveling ramen down his throat as he continued.

"Well, you see Shakhuchanh, bheing dat – ahh, sorry. Being that you and teme are trying to ya know, do the nasty and make evil little temes running around, don't you think you outta lay off the missions a bit? I mean, it's pretty dangerous."

Sakura sighed impatiently.

"Did Sasuke put you up to this?" she asked irritably.

Naruto looked affronted. "No way! I wouldn't listen to that bastard anyway. I just think that you shouldn't risk your er, baby's life."

Sakura turned to face Naruto with a stern look on her face. "I'm not risking anything." She said, with resolute determination. It seemed she was touchy on this subject, so Naruto merely nodded and kept his mouth shut.

"Trust me, Naruto, once I find out that I'm pregnant, I'll be the first to take myself out of commission. But until then I'm not going to let my fellow ninja risk their lives without doing anything to help them."

Naruto smiled fondly. "I know you'll be a great mom, Sakura."

At first, Naruto had been opposed to the idea of her and teme having kids so young. But the reality of their positions set in, and really it wasn't that bad. His mom had been young too…that was just the reality of being a ninja. He knew that Sakura would be great. She was warm and kind and caring…and stern when need be. He envisioned her soft, and patient smile as she would pat her child's head.

Sakura loosened up and smiled back. "Thanks, Naruto."

Naruto smiled sheepishly. "No problem."

* * *

Sakura smiled wearily, and checked her watch. She had been waiting patiently at her mother's for quite some time now. She glanced around the room nostalgically, a bittersweet smile adorning her porcelain face. She missed living with her mother. Although she had never quite approved of her being a ninja, (Sakura's parents were civilians) her mother adored the fact that she had become a med-nin. And for many reasons. One, it meant she didn't have to partake in battle as much, two she'd be able to tae care of herself, and three, she was saving other's lives.

_Perhaps if I'd become a med-nin a little sooner, I could have saved Daddy's life to, _Sakura thought bitterly.

She was interrupted (thankfully) from her dark musings when her mother walked in. She was wearing an elegant kimono, and Sakura thought she looked beautiful.

"Are you ready? Sasuke should be here soon."

Her mother sighed and pulled out a chair. "I'm still not sure about this, dear. Doesn't it seem like the two of you are moving a little…_fast?_"

Sakura frowned. _Not this again. _She averted her gaze, muttering, "Not really."

But her mother didn't seem to hear her. "You two are so young! You have your entire lives ahead of you to spend together and build a family. Besides, you just got married a week ago!" her mother exasperated vehemently.

Sakura really hated arguing with her mother – especially on a topic such as this – but it couldn't be helped. She'd already made her decision.

"Mom, you don't understand. We're _ninja. _Our jobs put our lives at risk every day. We can't – "

"You think I don't know that?" her mother cut in sharply, her voice grave.

Sakura swallowed. "You think I don't know that I have to worry about you coming home every damn time they send you out?"

Sakura hid her face behind her bangs, feeling ashamed. "Then you must understand that we don't have time to wait for kids."

"I understand, that the two of you are still kids yourselves!" her mother snapped.

Sakura stood; furious. "You're only doing this because Sasuke was a missing-nin! I know you don't trust him because of that. But mom, I do. I love him." Sakura crossed her arms. "And you really shouldn't have invited us to dinner if you felt this way."

"I was trying to be polite."

"Yeah? Well next time, don't bother." Sakura spat, storming towards the door. She opened it brusquely and slammed it behind her.

Outside in a tree, a raven haired man sat, watching the pinkette with mixed emotions.

* * *

When Sakura got home, she immersed herself in her medical textbooks – her only method of coping.

She was researching a herb that would boost her fertility rate. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Sasuke was tired of 'trying'. Sakura thought that he must be gay. Something had to give. Hell, if she were a guy and she had the opportunity to have sex with someone – no strings attached – she'd go for it.

But she could _feel _Sasuke's distaste for the intimate act. It was almost as if he dreaded it.

Now, if Sakura were self conscious, she'd feel insulted. But she knew that even if she was the most beautiful girl in the world, Sasuke would still respond the same way. So she didn't dwell on the matter, only tried fixing it.

The herb had minimal side effects, similar ones to being pregnant. _That makes sense,_ Sakura thought absentmindedly, while scribbling notes down.

As much as she tried to distract herself from thinking about this afternoon, she couldn't avoid the topic for long. The fact of the matter was that Sasuke never showed up. And Sakura couldn't help but wonder why? There had to be a reason for the last Uchiha to bail on her like that. He'd already met her mother before, so it couldn't have been that.

In all honesty, Sakura wasn't sure if she was angry with him or not. He wasn't even home when she got back, but she assumed he might've been out training and lost track of time. To her, it seemed like the only plausible alibi.

Looking at the clock, she realized it was getting late. "I better eat before it gets any later." She murmured, bookmarking the page in her textbook. She made herself some instant ramen, too lazy to do anything more elaborate than that.

Sakura didn't mind eating alone. The silence here wasn't much different than when Sasuke was actually around, because he never contributed to conversation. Part of her was worried that something might have happened to him, but the bigger part of her knew better. Sasuke could most definitely handle himself.

After eating, she returned to her work upstairs, and after a few minutes she heard the front door open, and sensed a familiar chakra.

"Finally," she exaggerated, checking the clock. It was half past nine. Even still, Sasuke didn't come upstairs for a while, and Sakura assumed he was preparing food for himself. Or he could be stalling.

When he finally did come upstairs, Sakura closed her textbook. "Do I even have to ask?" she began tiredly, sighing.

Sasuke – unsurprisingly – remained silent, staring at her blankly. If she didn't know better, she might've guessed that he was bored.

"Why didn't you show up?" she pried, meeting his gaze levelly. He gave a small shrug, She narrowed her eyes. "Where were you?"

"Training." He replied curtly.

"Huh," she clicked her tongue. "And I suppose training was more important than meeting me for dinner?"

"Hn."

He made a move to go to the bathroom, but Sakura placed herself in his way. "Listen, Sasuke. Don't make promises if you intend to break them." She chastised lowly.

"Move." He merely stated. She placed her hands on his shoulders and gave a slight push.

"No way. Not until you tell me why you didn't show up."

_So Goddamn annoying,_ Sasuke glared at her_. _"_Move._ He hissed.

"No!"

"Sakura, I swear if you don't move – "

"You'll do what? What?" she dared.

"Goddamnit, Sakura. I didn't come because I heard you and your mother fighing." He snarled.

Sakura froze, somewhat in shock. "Wha…?"

Sasuke – fully taking advantage of her shock – pushed past her and stormed into the bathroom.

Sakura could only stare at the closed door as she heard the shower turn on.

* * *

There wasn't much interaction between the unhappy couple for the next week. Sasuke blatantly avoided Sakura and her suggested advances (however platonic they may be), and Sakura soon gave up. She told herself gone were the days where she would exhaust all efforts for him.

If he was content in stalling their attempts, then so was she.

Besides, their sexual encounters were always brief and to the point. They weren't so much a pleasurable hobby as a mundane chore. Despite the occasional times when he'd care enough for her to 'get something out of it' (Sakura visibly blushed at this) Sasuke wanted the act over as quickly as possible.

Their sleeping conditions hadn't changed, however, Sakura found herself falling asleep on the couch more frequently. He never put her in bed. Even if she did fall asleep before him.

Sakura was at the hospital, doing her normal rounds, when she was called to the Hokage Tower.

Quite perplexed, Sakura had no idea what she was needed for.

"Shishou?" Sakura asked upon entering Tsunade's office. Tsunade had her hands crossed, her chin resting on them lightly. _Almost like how Sasuke used to sit, _Sakura mused.

"Sakura, sit down please. I have something important I'd like to discuss with you."

* * *

Sasuke flung a kunai at the target with immaculate precision. He thought back to when he'd watch his brother do the very same thing, and how awestruck he used to become. Sasuke grimaced.

His thoughts never lead him to a good place, and in an attempt to not think about his brother, he found himself thinking about Sakura. Or more specifically, something he recently noticed about her.

There had been something off, that for a while, Sasuke couldn't place. But the other day, the answer hit him like a ton of bricks.

Sakura had stopped calling him Sasuke-kun.

He couldn't pinpoint exactly _when _he noticed the change, but it had been quite some time since he'd heard her utter the honorific. And it bugged him that he was so curious as to why the sudden change.

Of course, it wasn't like he'd ever ask her. But it still bothered him.

Sasuke paused in his training.

"Dobe." He greeted.

He turned to see the obnoxious blonde walking towards him with a sheepish smile. "Hey, teme. Guess what? I heard Tsunade is going to send Sakura on a solo mission! She's gunna be so excited!"

Sasuke considered this for a moment. "No." he objected.

Naruto frowned. "Sasuke, you can't just say no. Obviously if Baa-chan thinks Sakura can handle it, then she can."

"But she thought Sakura could handle it last time!" Sasuke snapped.

"Calm down, bastard, will you? Sakura's gotten stronger since then. You can't just prevent her from ever going on a solo mission because of what happened. She is a ninja after all."

"I don't care," Sasuke bristled, "she's not going."

Sasuke began to storm off, ready to have a few choice words with the Hokage when he heard Naruto mutter,

"You can't protect her forever, teme."

Sasuke glared ahead. "Fuck off." He growled, before speeding off.

* * *

"Really?" Sakura exclaimed happily. Tsunade nodded slowly.

"Yes. The details are in this folder." She slid over a manila file. "Sakura, I'm counting on you."

Sakura nodded furiously and grabbed the file. She stood and bowed. "Yes, Tsunade-sama. I won't let you down."

The Godaime cracked a smile and dismissed her pupil, not before warning her to be careful (which Sakura scoffed at).

On Sakura's way out, she ran into Sasuke.

"Oh, Sasuke! Hey, guess what?"

"I already know." Sasuke deadpanned, literally deflating Sakura's excited mood. "You're not going." He commanded.

Sakura glared daggers at the Uchiha. "Now what the hell makes you think you can make that sort of a decision?"

"I'm your husband." He reminded her, with authority. Sakura snorted.

"Way to use _that _to your advantage. It's not like you ever act like a husband. Besides, I'm still able to make my own decisions. And I _decide _that I want to go on this mission. There's nothing you, or anyone else can do to convince me otherwise."

Sasuke blocked her path, gripping her wrist. "Sakura – "

"Sakura, _nothing! _I'm going to do exactly what you did to me the other day. Now leave me the hell alone. I have a mission to prepare for." Infusing a small amount of chakra into her palm, she shoved Sasuke aside, walking away.

* * *

"Aw, Saku-chan, you better be careful!" Naruto mumbled, lifting the pinkette off her feet in a bone-crushing hug. Sakura smiled and accepted the brotherly gesture, patting the top of his head. After a few moments, Naruto released her and set her on her feet once again.

"Calm down, it's only a B-rank. Tsunade is still too wary to let me take on an A-rank alone. I'll be in Wind country and back in a week."

She turned to Kakashi, whose mask crinkled in what she noticed was a smile. She winked at him and engulfed him in a hug, which he returned.

Finally she turned to Sasuke, who remained silent. He honestly didn't like the idea of her going one bit, but Naruto had convinced him to back off. _"Teme, she needs to do this. For herself, you know?"_

When was it like the dobe to get all therapist and shit on him?

She stood in front of him hesitantly. They still weren't on the best of terms, but Sakura firmly believed in never parting on a bad note, just in case. She offered him a small smile, and he relaxed.

Tentatively, she wrapped her arms around him and stood on her tippy toes to whisper in his ear, "I'll be careful, I promise." He grunted in reply. She pecked his cheek lightly and pulled away.

"Well, I best be off. See you guys in a week." She gave them all a cheeky grin, before spinning on her heels and walking through the village gate. Soon, her pace increased, and she was running. She jumped onto a tree branch, and sped off into the distance. Sasuke stared at her until he couldn't see her anymore.

Something in the back of his mind nagged him that something about this whole thing just _wasn't right. _

He didn't want to admit that he didn't like seeing her back facing him.

It was an ironic reversal of roles, Sasuke mused to himself.

Perhaps it had been long overdue.

* * *

**reviews, are like, really good sex. ps - thank you to all my anonymous reviewers, as well as my ever faithful reviewers...as well as...well heck, thank you to _all _my reviewers :D **


	11. t e n

**This is a little early, because all of your AMAZING reviews seriously inspire me. Thank you SO much for all your support, guys! Enjoy (:**

**Disclaimer - Don't own.**

* * *

Beyond This Illusion

* * *

**.:: Chapter Ten ::.**

* * *

The trees were eerily quiet, Sakura noted. It was too quiet. She paused in her running, and closed her eyes. She wasn't necessarily the best at sensing other chakras, but she was fairly decent enough. And she couldn't sense any, but that didn't mean she was alone. She was feeling jumpy for some reason, anxious even.

_It's because you haven't been on a solo mission in a while, _Sakura told herself bitterly. She performed a few protective genjutsu's and sat down on a tree stump. The mission folder lay in her lap, crumpled.

She knew she could do this. She had to prove everyone else wrong. Because she wasn't _weak _anymore. Most of all, she had to prove that to Sasuke. When Naruto had gone off to find Sasuke, she was supposed to be there to prove to him she wasn't weak anymore. But she never got that opportunity. So now was her chance to finally prove to Sasuke that he didn't have to baby her. That she was perfectly capable of handling herself.

_Alright, Sakura. You can do this, _she told herself, formulating a plan. This wasn't a difficult mission. All she had to do was travel to Cloud Country to get a herb that Tsunade needed to create some sort of cure. She didn't know (or need to know) the details. What she needed to do, was succeed.

The only reason this was a B-rank was because of the possibility of running into rogue ninja. Plus the fact that an Akatsuki member (however dead Deidara may be) originated from Cloud.

She mapped out the best route to get there from where she was now, and organized her weapons pouch to ensure she would be readily prepared. After a quick snack, she set out again, hoping to make it half ways to Cloud by sundown.

She couldn't shake the jumpy feeling, so she tried to pass it off as excitement. But Sakura knew she was fooling herself.

Whatever it was, she refused to let her emotions get in the way and botch her mission.

* * *

It was nightfall, and she'd pushed herself a little more than she expected to. If she set out early tomorrow morning, she'd get to Cloud by late afternoon. She'd stay there for the night and head home first thing the following morning, hopefully being back in Fire Country that night.

After eating a light dinner, she set out to find a spring where she could wash up. It didn't take long, for she smelled the dampness in the air. The water was slightly warm – a result of it being the middle of the summer. She'd hoped for the water to be a little colder, to cool down her sweating body, but it wasn't that unpleasant. She allowed herself to relax for a few minutes, masking her chakra. She refused to lwt her guard down completely though.

After she decided she had enough relaxation, she dressed back into her clothes and set up her tent for the night. It wasn't long after she entered the tent when she heard a rustling in the bushes.

_Really? _Sakura thought, slightly annoyed. _They had to pick my sleeping time, didn't they?_

Sakura sat up from her sleeping bag and shut her eyes, sensing the chakra around her. There were three of them, and if they weren't smart enough to mask their chakra in the first place, they shouldn't be too difficult to eliminate.

She waited until they neared the tent before she decided to launch an attack. Channeling chakra into her fist, Sakura slammed her hand through the tent flap, right into the face of her enemy. _Perfect, _she smirked, hearing a bone crack. Satisfied that she broke her first opponent's nose, she emerged from the tent, kicking the ninja back. He landed against a tree with a loud _thunk, _and part of the tree cracked.

Her other two opponents wasted no time in shock. Instead they grabbed hold of her arms, one holding a kunai to her throat. Sakura played innocent.

"Hey, bitch. That wasn't very nice of you," the man sneered. She smelled alcohol on his breath and wanted to vomit. She put on a terrified façade, acting as though she was weak and defenseless. When in reality, she was concentrating her chakra to form a chakra scalpel. The man pressed the kunai against her throat, while the other raided her tent for any valuables.

"So pretty girl, how about you make it up to me?" Sakura glared – momentarily forgetting her façade – before spitting in the man's face. "You're gunna pay for that, bitch!"

Sakura smirked and slowly moved her hand to the man's arm that held the kunai against her throat. Swiftly, she slashed the chakra scalpel through his arm, causing it to fall limp. The ninja stared down at his arm in shock, mouth hanging open.

"What the hell did you to do my arm?" he shouted, backing away from her. He gripped another kunai with his good arm and threw it at her, but she dodged quickly, sending a kick right to the center of his chest. She knew she knocked the wind out of him when his eyes widened and he passed out on the spot. Turning quickly, she ducked as a punch was sent flying in her direction.

"I don't know who you think you are, or what you did to my partners, but I'm going to make sure you never do it again!"

Sakura laughed brusquely. She disappeared from his sight, only to reappear behind him. "Sweet dreams," she murmured before striking the back of his neck, sending him tumbling to the ground. Sakura stared at the fallen ninja in contempt. That move was learned from Sasuke.

Packing up her tent quite resigned, Sakura set off to find another place to stay for the night.

* * *

Sasuke masked his chakra rather well. He'd been itching to jump into the fight, but he'd assessed them and realized their skill level was low. Sakura could handle it. He didn't – however – know why such weak ninja were picking fights in the first place. But he sat on a nearby branch, watching as she took out the ninja with an air of superiority. He had to roll his eyes. She was being dramatic.

He did admire her chakra scalpel technique, and if his pride wouldn't prevent him from doing so, he may have asked her to teach it to him while he used his sharingan to copy it.

Part of him felt a little guilty for betraying her trust, but another part (the bigger part) said that this was for her own good. He couldn't jeopardize the mother of his future children because of some stupid retrieval mission. Not that he didn't trust _her, _but after hearing what had happened to her in the past, he wouldn't take any risks.

But he had to be careful.

He knew that if Sakura discovered his presence, she'd never forgive him.

He didn't blame her though; she had every right to be upset. He didn't expect her to understand his reasoning.

Sasuke followed Sakura to her new destination, unaware that when he fell asleep in the trees, Sakura's eyes wouldn't stop suspiciously glancing at him every now and then.

"Haruno-san, I'm very pleased to see that you made it here without trouble."

Sakura smiled and bowed. "No problem at all, Raikage-sama."

"You're welcome to stay overnight if you wish. I shall get a room set up for you immediately."

Sakura bowed politely, "Thank you, Raikage-sama."

Sakura held the herb in her hand, zipping it neatly in a plastic baggy. All this trouble for that stupid leaf. _It better be worth it._

The old man waved his hand. "Nonsense! You're always welcome here." The man's face flashed dangerously, as a dark aura suddenly flashed about him. Sakura swallowed, pretending she didn't see.

It was silent for a few minutes.

"I heard you married the Uchiha." He muttered darkly.

Sakura – shocked – could only nod. The Raikage sighed pitifully and turned his head away from her.

"I'm sure you know what he did to Killer Bee. I can't simply let that pass by."

Sakura bit her lip, trying not to burst out in Sasuke's defense. "Raikage-sama, Sasuke-kun realizes that what he did was wrong. He…wasn't under his normal influence when he did so. He didn't mean to do it."

"But he did."

Sakura couldn't reply.

"I hope you know that I wish _you _no harm, my dear. But I can't and _won't _be held accountable for anything that may happen to your husband. Thus, I may apologize in advance."

Sakura felt her eyes watering, with a sudden urge to run back to Konoha as fast as she could and just _get the hell out of here. _Just run home and into Sasuke's arms, and feel him. Know that he's safe and sound. Because he could get attacked at this very moment without her knowledge. The thought made a lump rise in the back of her throat.

"Sakura-san, please leave now. Do send Tsunade my best regards."

Sakura bowed lowly and murmured a quick 'thank you' as she left briskly, with as much respect as she could muster. If she fell short, however, she had a feeling he understood.

* * *

Sasuke's anger boiled within him. How _dare _he talk to Sakura like that, as if he knew her. How dare he make subtle threats to him behind his back!

It wasn't like he _knew _that Killer Bee was related to him when he killed him. No, he had merely been an obstacle in the way of his revenge, and had to be dealt with appropriately.

_Besides, _Sasuke thought to himself solemnly, _it was either him or me._

Sasuke grit his teeth in a way that would surely cause damage, but he didn't care. He watched Sakura as she walked past the Hotel where she was _supposed _to be staying at for the night.

_What in the hell is she doing?_

Sakura looked around suspiciously, before she disappeared in a cloud of her namesake – cherry blossoms.

Sasuke blinked, then closed his eyes quickly, scanning for her chakra.

It wasn't like she was bad at masking her chakra, per say, but that he was just good at detecting it. He was so used to being in her presence that he could spot her from miles away if need be. Which – in his opinion – was a good thing.

Keeping his eyes closed, he noticed something…off about her. He couldn't quite place exactly what it was, but he figured he'd better follow her closer than before. Just in case.

It seemed she didn't want to waste time overnight by staying there. Sasuke wondered why Sakura was suddenly in such a rush. Perhaps she was worried. She was worried about the Raikage's threat, and she wanted to get home as fast as possible.

A pang of guilt coursed through his body as he realized that even on a mission, Sakura was still thinking about him.

"Stupid girl." He muttered lowly. She should be focusing on her surroundings, not him!

Sasuke jumped swiftly between the trees, and he was surprised that Sakura was keeping such a quick pace. At this rate, she was bound to tire out soon. He figured that eventually, he'd have to pass her if he wanted to be back in Konoha by the time she got home. He didn't want her getting suspicious or anything.

And he didn't even want to think of the consequences of him leaving the village without permission. He'd have to think of a good excuse for that one. _But_ – he decided – _I'll worry about that later. _

Sasuke sensed another chakra up ahead of Sakura. It was strong, but he'd stay back unless absolutely necessary.

Sakura noticed it too, for he watched as she subtly took a kunai out from its holster.

She didn't falter in her pace, however, as she approached the enemy head on.

It was a female rogue, this time.

"And where do you think _you're _going?" the girl mocked, in a shrill voice. Sakura rolled her eyes, crouching into a fighting position.

"Obviously nowhere until you get out of my way." She retorted. The girl merely smirked as she disappeared into thin air.

Sasuke sat in a nearby tree, observing just as he had her previous fight. If he was being honest with himself, he liked watching her fight. Her body was lithe and flexible as she darted around the senbon thrown at her. She was graceful – if only in battle. He couldn't fathom how she was so damn _clumsy _all the time, but when she fought she did so with careful precision. Was she purposely clumsy, then?

But suddenly, an arm plunged itself from the woman's stomach and tore into Sakura's shoulder.

His eyes widened slightly, and he leaned forward instinctively, ready to intervene.

Sakura cursed loudly, and healed the wound as best as she could given the circumstance. Once the bleeding stopped and it was scabbed over, Sakura didn't give it another thought. She channeled chakra into her fist and punched the girl in the jaw. The female's skin moved with the punch, morphing and then snapping back into place.

Sasuke furrowed his brows. Her technique was similar to that of Suigetsu. He could dodge an attack – what with him being made of water and all – and still be fine.

This girl was going to have to take a lot of damage to halt her body's healing process.

_I wonder if I burn her…_

Sasuke clenched his teeth, determine not to jump into Sakura's fight. But he honestly didn't know if Sakura could do much damage. She didn't have many ninjutsu attacks that she could perform against this opponent, and taijutsu wouldn't work. So unless she had a powerful genjutsu under her belt – which he seriously doubted – there was no way she could win.

_She'd probably punch me if she heard me say that._

Sasuke was interrupted from his musings when he heard Sakura's piercing scream. This time, the wound shot through her stomach. He was facing her back, and he saw the fingers.

Sasuke's anger rose as he realized the arm had pierced through her entire body.

Without thinking, he jumped down from the tree.

"Fire Style: Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

A large ball of flame erupted from Sasuke, searing everything in its path. He heard the girl's penetrating wail and smirked as he ran out of breath. Vaguely, he had heard Sakura shouting his name in surprise.

Sasuke turned to face Sakura, worry evident on his face. But all he found in her was fury.

She was gripping her stomach to stop the bleeding as he stared back at her apathetically.

"You…you…_asshole!_ You followed me the entire time! You didn't trust me!"

"And good thing, too." He barked back accusingly. He eyed her stomach warily. The gash had gone through her entire body.

"Stop staring at it!" Sakura snipped, turned so that she could heal it.

And that's when it hit him.

What he sensed strange about Sakura before. His eyes widened as he stared at her stomach in disbelief.

"Sakura. You're…"

Sakura turned, angry but confused. Sasuke was never one to trail off.

"What?" she demanded impatiently. She finished healing the wound, and she wobbled on her feet a bit. She needed to rest. Leaning against the tree, she glared at him expectantly.

"You're pregnant."

* * *

Sakura sunk deep into the hot springs, rubbing her stomach. She couldn't keep her hands off of herself ever since Sasuke made the announcement. Why she hadn't noticed was beyond her, but she figured that since Sasuke had the Sharingan, he'd be better at detecting faint traces of chakra.

Sasuke sat on a nearby rock, watching her silently. He too, wouldn't keep his eyes off her. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Sakura knew he was excited. And slightly worried. After all, she had just been sliced through. But upon examination, (ironically done by Sasuke) it was determined that the baby was safe. Thank Kami.

The fog from the hot springs soothed her aching muscles as she leaned against the rock Sasuke was on. She made sure to keep her chest below water, since she was nude. Even though he'd seen everything before, (and could probably still see through the water) she felt shy.

Just knowing that their child was growing inside her sent a warm thrill up her spine, and she giggled at the thought. Sasuke didn't say anything at her behavior, for she'd been doing this for almost an hour.

It was dark out, and the two decided to break for the night. After a violent fight, Sakura let it drop for now. She knew she had to rest, and Sasuke knew he wasn't in the clear yet.

"You should come in." Sakura suggested, closing her eyes. He looked down at her without replying. Almost as if she knew, she continued. "You're probably tired, whether you want to admit it or not."

"Someone has to keep lookout." He pointed out. Sakura lifted her hand from the water and turned to splash him. He glared in return.

"C'mon, Sasuke. What, are you afraid to get a little wet?" she goaded teasingly. Sasuke shook his head and stood, lifting his shirt over his head. He tossed it next to Sakura's discarded clothes and removed his pants. Sakura turned as he removed his boxers, waiting until she heard him enter the water to turn back around.

He leaned against the rock, closing his eyes. But Sakura knew he was still alert. She knew he'd probably jump out of the water stark naked and fight against any threats if need be. The thought made Sakura laugh.

She swam next to him and grabbed his hand for a moment under the water, giving it a light squeeze. He didn't squeeze her hand back, but she didn't expect him to. She let go of his hand to rub her tummy once again.

"Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" she asked him, looking down at herself. Without moving, Sasuke replied,

"Neither yet. It's too early for it to be anything."

She smacked his arm playfully. "You know what I mean." She whispered softly, cherishing the moment.

"I don't know." He replied, sinking deeper into the water. She turned to face him.

"You know, now I'm going to get fat and cranky and ugly. And you're going to have to do everything I want."

Sasuke smirked. "So nothing will change?"

Sakura's mouth hung agape, and he opened his eyes, his smirk widening. If it weren't for the fact that he just made a joke, Sakura would be a hell of a lot more pissed. Instead, she 'hmphed' and crossed her arms, elbowing him lightly.

Gradually, she began to lean against him. He noticed, but didn't say anything. After a while though, her whole head was resting against his shoulder. He looked at her, about to tell her to get off, when he noticed she was sleeping.

"Annoying." He muttered, scooping her into his arms. He rose from the water silently, drying her off and slipping her clothes back on her almost mechanically.

For a moment, he paused at her stomach, where the wound had been only hours ago. His fingers rose to that area, and before he could stop himself, he brushed her skin softly. Smoothing his palm against her, he felt the subtle surges of a chakra growing inside her.

Dressing himself as well, he got her tent out of the bag and set it up.

She was still sleeping when he was finished setting up camp. Quietly, he scooped his arms underneath her and picked her up again, leading her into the tent. Her hair was damper than his, but he figured it'd dry soon. He lay her down on the sleeping bag gently, crawling in next to her.

Part of him couldn't believe that Sakura was really pregnant. It seemed like everything up until now was just going through the motions. It was all leading up to this. His goal. He was finally reviving his clan. And while he wouldn't quite describe it as happy, it was the closest thing to it. At least, for him. A bubble of pride welled up in his chest as he imagined a new Uchiha coming into the world. They'd redeem his clan together, the three of them.

He knew that Sakura was the only person he'd trust to do this with, and he was glad she was more than willing to help. He needed her much more than he thought he ever would, and she never let him down. He stared at her for a while, watching as she slept peacefully, not making a sound.

He would be a good father, he told himself. His son wouldn't need to crave his attention, he'd give it freely. Yes, he wanted a son. He wanted a son to teach everything he ever learned to. Someone he could have a bond with that he knew he wouldn't be able to have with a daughter.

He was awkward around kids, but he'd get through it.

Because he finally had a family again.

And although he was probably going to be in deep shit tomorrow, Sasuke closed his eyes easily and didn't open them again until the next morning.

* * *

**Everyone that reviews gets a metaphorical gold star. Seriously, can't resist that, can you ;D**


	12. e l e v e n

**disclaimer - don't own.**

**a/n - well, here it is. sorry it took so long, but i hope you enjoy (: thanks to all of my WONDERFUL reviewers who stayed dedicated to this story throughout.**

**special shoutout to _sasusaku_month _on LJ for recommending this story! thanks a bunch :D **

* * *

Beyond This Illusion

* * *

**.:: Chapter Eleven ::.**

* * *

Sakura smiled bitterly. She'd just left the Hokage's Tower following the mission. Upon returning to Konoha, Sasuke – of course – headed straight home. Had he been spotted out of Konoha, only Kami knows what would have happened. Sakura still wondered about that moment they'd shared in the springs. She was embarrassed beyond belief to discover that she'd fallen asleep on him. _Naked. _He had to dress her and everything last night.

Sakura flushed at the thought.

Even still, he wasn't off the hook. Sakura wasn't particularly proud of having to cover for him, which incidentally meant _lying _to Tsunade. Guilt welled in the pit of her stomach, and she bit her lip anxiously. What if she found out the truth?

Oh, he was going to pay _hell _for making her go through this.

She still couldn't believe that he had the audacity to follow her to begin with. That bastard.

Sakura sighed, remembering the look on Tsunade's face when Sakura told her that she was pregnant. She wouldn't be given any missions until after the child's birth, but "the hospital could always use an extra pair of able hands."

Sakura kicked a rock in irritation. She was also mad at herself for letting Sasuke off easy last night. She was elated at the discovery yes, but that didn't mean she should have forgiven him – however temporary it was. She looked at the sky and smiled softly. She was going to have a child_. _And not just any child, but _Sasuke's child. _

Sakura exhaled slowly when suddenly she felt a giant _thing _crushing her side, engulfing her entire being –

"Naruto." The greeting was more of an accusation than a welcoming. Her face relaxed into an easy smile.

"Saku-chan, I missed you." He grinned, releasing her from his violent death grip. She pat his head affectionately after she brushed off her clothes.

"I know, me too."

Naruto – automatically falling into step beside her – laughed. "So how was the mission?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "It was easy. But _someone _didn't think I could handle it…" she trailed off in irritation.

Naruto stopped. "Is this the same someone with a giagantic stick_dildo_ shoved up his ass?"

Sakura smiled and nodded. "The very same."

Naruto shook his head and continued walking. "That bastard! He promised he wouldn't."

Sakura giggled at his response. He was such a gossip sometimes. "Don't worry; he's in for a beating. Make sure to put in a good word for him to your Ramen God when you pray tonight." She chirped happily.

"Hey! You promised you wouldn't make fun of me for that!" Naruto shouted indignantly, scanning the area to make sure no one heard. Once he was sure no one heard, he smiled and stretched his hands behind his head, "Better him than me though."

"That's the spirit! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some extermination to get to."

Naruto squeezed her shoulder. "Well, don't hurt the poor bastard _too much, _in the end you'll be the one to suffer." He winked suggestively. Sakura blushed and smacked his arm, walking off.

She stopped a few feet away from him and turned around.

"Oh," she said, suddenly remembering, "I forgot to tell you that I'm pregnant."

* * *

Sasuke sat in the kitchen, chewing a tomato thoughtfully. He savored the taste, closing his eyes and giving into the silence. He knew this wouldn't last for long. Hell, he wasn't stupid. But it had to be done. He had to follow her. It was his _duty. _

Especially after what happened last time she had a solo mission.

He knew that her temper and pride was bruised, but the risk was worth it. He didn't regret anything, especially since he came to find out what he did.

This was where his thoughts lead him.

Sakura's pregnancy.

When everything boils down, _this _was the sole purpose for his marrying Sakura. He scowled, not liking how that sounding, and yet not knowing exactly why. He didn't like the cold hard fact that he was using her, no not using, just…

He couldn't admit it to himself, _refused _to believe that he was actually using her. Because he was making her happy by doing this. She had wanted this all along, wanted him all along. And now he needed her, albeit for a different reason. It _shouldn't _make him feel this low bubbling of discomforting guilt, but it did.

Sasuke was disgusted with himself for becoming the person that he was. If she, no _when _she came to yell at him, he had no right to oppose her. He knew that now, while he was still calm. But he'd forget that thought as soon as rage blinded his coherency.

Sasuke opened his eyes, and for a moment, saw only blackness. A burst of panic shot through his entire being. _No. _He narrowed his gaze until the red blur of the tomato came into view. By the time he could see properly, he was breathing heavily.

Sakura hadn't checked his eyes in a while. They'd been so preoccupied with so many other things, there wasn't the time. He didn't blame her at all for it, hell, he'd forgotten himself. But this was just a startling realization of how much he needed her.

He needed her, more than anyone else.

That, he could admit.

But Sakura's pregnancy sparked too many emotions in him. Emotions that he didn't recognize or know how to deal with. This irritated him, causing him to bite the tomato furiously.

This was what he wanted all along. To revive his clan. He'd always thought, _hoped _that once this day came, he could finally be happy. Back then, it had always seemed like some far off dream, something he yearned for but would never obtain. And now that it presented itself to him, he didn't know how to react. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be, he knew.

His father – while stoic and strict – had loved his mother. The thought often puzzled him, because he so often compared himself to his father. And yet, his father had no problem _loving. _That's where the similarity ended. Perhaps if his childhood was different, he too would be capable of such a thing. But he didn't find it necessary to love someone in order to be happy.

Maybe that was his problem.

He knew he cared for Sakura, but he didn't know how far that would take him. She was a valuable teammate and friend, someone he trusted. Why couldn't that be enough for her? Why did she have to live in a fantasy world like all those damn erotic novels that Kakashi read, where all these people fall in love and have unrealistic passionate sex twenty-four seven. It was so fake, it was pathetic. And yet Sakura actually _wanted _that. She wanted those stupid movie-line clichés and love.

But she also wanted him.

And for her to want both, she knew she'd have to give one up. This was what she chose, and she had to live with the decision. It wasn't _his _responsibility to change. He didn't even know how.

Sakura was interrupted from his thoughts when he sensed her chakra approaching.

He finished the tomato and braced himself, sitting calmly in the chair. When she opened the door quietly, he didn't know what to expect. But he knew it wasn't good.

"Sasuke," she directed once she entered the kitchen, wasting no time, "we need to talk."

He met her gaze in response, and she sat down in the chair opposite him, closing her eyes. She was trying to gather her thoughts, arrange her argument. He savored the final moments of peace.

The calm before the storm.

"You obviously know," she began, not looking at him. He could see that her eyes were fierce though. "that what you did was completely _wrong. _I should have you arrested for violating your probation!" she took a deep breath, obviously trying to hold her composure. "You shouldn't have followed me." she reprimanded sternly, finally looking him in the eye.

"I did it for your benefit." He pointed out calmly. He was only trying to protect her.

"I don't need to be coddled Sasuke!" she shouted, giving up her composure. "Do you know how _hard _I've worked to obtain the title I have? Don't forget that I'm higher in rank than you are."

"By title, not by power, Sakura and you know that."

He saw fury in her eyes, and he knew she took insult to that comment. It wasn't his fault. It was the truth.

"Regardless, I've been trained to handle this. And if the freaking _Hokage _thinks that I'm prepared for a solo mission, than it's none of your business to intervene."

He leaned forward. "I'm your husband, it _is _my business." He retorted sharply.

She glared at him. "Don't you _dare _wave that damn word around with me, Sasuke. You know the word doesn't mean shit. So don't act like it holds any value in this household."

He sneered. "Well it seems to hold a lot of value for you. After all, you were the one who wanted it to begin with."

Sakura stood, leaning over him. "You're a fucking douchebag, you know that?"

He stood too, only to prove a point, and towered over her. This didn't seem to affect her though. In fact, she gave his chest a hard shove.

"Are you really going to do this?" he asked incredulously.

"Why not? Maybe I need to prove to you that I can handle myself." She punched his shoulder, causing a small _pop _to be heard. He gripped his shoulder in pain but refused to otherwise show his discomfort. Stubborn asshole. She knew he let him do that just now. He could have easily moved away if he wanted to. She had thought she'd miss. A small part of her worried over his injured shoulder, but that stayed inside her. She refused to let her guard down _now._

"Sakura, stop it." He commanded roughly, his voice hard and penetrating.

"No. I will not. You don't even trust me to handle my own god damn mission!" with each word she shoved him back until – finally snapping – he grabbed her wrists with his good arm.

"Enough."

She glared at his chest menacingly and he expected to see traces of tears but there were none. He had to remind himself that this wasn't twelve-year-old Sakura anymore.

"I _hate _that you don't have faith in me."

He tugged on her wrists violently, causing her to close her eyes in pain. "You're an idiot, you know that?" but she didn't respond, only whimpered softly. "I _do _trust you. It's them I don't trust."

Suddenly, she yanked her wrists away and stumbled back a few steps. "I told you I can handl – "

"I _know _that." He snapped, impatient.

Sakura stared at him, finally meeting his gaze. She desperately wanted to know what the hell he was talking about because he wasn't making any sense at _all _and –

"Oh my god."

He snapped his towards her. "What?"

– he was _worried _about her.

"You were worried." She accused, narrowing her gaze.

He froze.

She took a step forward, pointing her finger at him. "You were worried about me. That's why you followed me."

He stepped back. "Of course I was, you're my teammate." He defended.

She shook her head. "It's more than that."

"No, it isn't."

Sakura stopped and shook her head. "Fine, deny it. I don't care. Fact is, you shouldn't have followed me, and I _know _you know that. So don't do it again."

Sasuke opened his mouth, about to retort that she had no right to reprimand him like a child when she continued,

"And I told Tsunade, by the way. She's not going to send me on any missions for a while, so you won't have to _worry _anymore."

He closed his mouth and glared, crossing his arms, and then realizing that his shoulder was dislocated, hissed.

She stepped towards him and placed her hand on his shoulder gently. "I'm sorry, I guess. And I know you are too. Well, you better be. Hold still."

He didn't reply, but listened and kept still as she popped his shoulder back into place, causing him to suck in a sharp breath. He thought she'd move after she finished, but she remained standing close to him, with her hand on his shoulder. She looked up at him with wide eyes,

"Are you ready for this?" she asked quietly.

He clenched his jaw in reply, not wanting to admit that maybe no, he wasn't. Because it didn't matter if he was or wasn't, he didn't have a choice. "I have to be." He replied.

She nodded and looked down at her stomach, furrowing her brows. He wondered what she was thinking. Why she looked confused and frustrated and…scared?

"Sakura –"

She looked up swiftly, and he saw that there _was _fear in her eyes. She wasn't ready either. They were only eighteen after all. They went about this clumsily, not thinking things through. But all they could do was ride the wave out until things settled into place. They had nine months to prepare for this baby, and that was all. Nine months, and they would be parents.

She looked up at him.

"I'm scared."

* * *

Sakura tossed and turned.

She couldn't sleep.

And Sasuke was extremely aware of that fact.

"Sakura, stop moving around and go to sleep." He mumbled, annoyed.

She sat up, huffing, "I _can't._"

"Why not?"

She began to fan herself. "It's so hot in here."

"Sakura, it's below 70." But she was already getting out of bed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm hungry." She stated blankly, her feet going _tut tut tut _across the wooden floor. He heard her footsteps trail away as she walked to the kitchen, presumably.

He sighed and got out of bed. This was only the beginning.

He found her in the kitchen eating a pickle. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're eating a pickle at three AM?"

She shrugged. "And?"

But he merely shook his head, sitting down at the table.

"Hey, I never said, _you _had to get up." She informed, quietly chewing her pickle. He rubbed his eyes,

"No one can sleep with all the noise you're making down here."

She smiled, knowing that was his excuse for staying up with her. Once she finished her pickle, she decided to make hot tea for them. Even though Sasuke accused her of being disgusting for drinking tea right after a pickle, she paid him no mind.

They sipped their tea in silence, a yawn passing between them every now and then.

She looked down at the rim of her cup and traced it with her fingers. "Do you ever have nightmares, Sasuke?"

"No." he replied bluntly.

"No? I always thought you would. I get them sometimes, but more often recently. I dreamt that I was falling," She closed her eyes, remembering, "it was dark all around me, so I couldn't do anything except fall. Then I saw everyone else falling. You, Naruto, Kakashi. We were all falling, until we saw a pit of fire below us. It was really far away, and it seemed like we stopped falling for a bit and were just hovering over it. And then Kakashi and Naruto flew away, trying to save us, but they couldn't reach us. I looked all around for you, but you were gone. You were falling again and I tried to reach you, to stretch my hand and just _grab yours, _but once I did…you said you didn't need my help. You told me to let go."

He sat quietly, looking at her with an intense gaze, listening to her night horrors. So this was the real reason why she couldn't sleep. "And did you?"

She closed her eyes, burying her face in her hands. "Yes. And then you fell into the pit of fire."

He took a deep breath, then sipped his tea. "It was just a dream." He said.

She rubbed her eyes and nodded. "I know. But, sometimes dreams symbolize real life. I just…I don't want you to just throw me away when you don't need me anymore." She mumbled. He didn't reply, and Sakura got up to put her cup in the sink.

"I'm going back to bed." She muttered. As she walked away she heard him say,

"I wouldn't do that."

Sakura stopped and turned around, giving him a small smile. "Wouldn't you?"

* * *

"Ino, I really don't understand why we're doing this."

"Because, _forehead, _you're stomach is about to become four times its current size, and I want you to be able to look good still when you get fat."

Sakura rolled her eyes, leaning against the wall. "Nothing could make me look good when I weigh an extra fifty pounds.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Sakura, you don't even weigh that much now. Imagine girls who already are overweight when they become pregnant. Besides, they make maternity clothes for a reason."

"Really now?" Sakura mumbled sarcastically.

"Yeah, they make the stomach bigger and everything." Ino giggled.

"You should just get pregnant yourself." Sakura mumbled.

"Why forehead, that's a great idea!"

Sakura couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not.

* * *

Today they were going to get their first ultrasound. It's been four weeks since they first found out about her pregnancy, so they'd be able to see the fetus beginning to develop. Hopefully.

Sakura stared at the white paper underneath her as she sat on the hospital bed. She leaned back, lying down and looking up at the ceiling. Her heart was beating faster than she thought possible, and she had no clue why. She looked to her left, where Sasuke sat.

She had been surprised when he said he wanted to come. Upon her surprised reaction he responded,

"Why wouldn't I want to see my child's growth?"

Which brought them here.

Her nightmares were becoming frequent, and the morning sickness was beginning. This was going to be one hell of a roller coaster, and Sakura prayed that it would be worth it. She knew that as soon as she saw her child, that it would make all the difference. Her and Sasuke could live normally, like a real family. She didn't want to think that it would make things worse, even if she was worried it might.

Tsunade walked in. She had demanded to be Sakura's doctor throughout the process, much to Sakura's happiness.

As she coated Sakura's stomach with the jelly substance, Sakura could have sworn she was beginning to see a bump. She stared at the screen where the image of her baby would appear, and Sasuke scooted closer.

"You see that?" Tsunade pointed at the screen. Sasuke nodded.

"That's the head."

"Wow." Sakura murmured in astonishment.

She couldn't take her eyes off the screen. Tsunade smiled.

"It's still too early to really see any features, but you're coming along well."

Sakura closed her eyes and smiled. Good.

Tsunade wiped her stomach off, and left the parents to themselves, saying she'd print them out a picture.

"I can't believe it." She said, looking up at him. She sat up and pat her stomach affectionately.

"Can you feel it yet?" he asked, looking at her. She shook her head and smiled.

"Soon."

He nodded, feeling a bubble of pride washing over him.

_Yes, _he agreed, looking at her gently, _soon._

* * *

**reviews are LOVED. PS - what would you think of me adding a little naruhina in here? i feel like naruto's getting neglected haha.**


	13. t w e l v e

**disclaimer - don't own. **

**a/n- so applying to college takes up a lot of time (believe it or not). But alas, Christmas Break is coming up, and as a gift (and apology for my continual inactivity) I promise to update this story again during my week off from school (: **

**I'd also like to warn you that the next few chapters aren't going to be happy. This is a drama, so there will be tons of ups and downs. However, it is not a tragedy, as I'd like to note, so regardless of what happens, there won't be a horrible ending where everyone dies (although I'd love to d othat cause I'm evil tehee). So for now, enjoy the fluff. **

* * *

Beyond This Illusion

* * *

**.:: Chapter Twelve ::. **

* * *

Sakura hummed to herself, closing her eyes. Soft, melodic music played in the background, soothing her as she sipped her tea in peace. _Finally, _she thought happily, _some alone time._

While she hadn't been particularly thrilled about Sasuke going out to train with Naruto (because she knew she'd have a lot of work to do later, healing them both), Sakura had to admit that she enjoyed a few hours of alone time.

Her and Sasuke had practically been at each other's throats for the past few months, and it was getting a little tense. So now that this opportunity presented itself, Sakura couldn't quite complain.

She sighed in contentment, leaning back as she sat in the bathtub.

The bubbles overflowed, covering her entire body, allowing her to sink deep into the warm water.

This gave her some time to _think. _

This whole thing wasn't anything like she'd expected, but then again Sakura never really knew exactly what to expect anyway.

Sasuke was kind in some ways – always attending her checkups and ultrasounds, and cold in others – need she even say? What worried her most was the horrifying thought that they'd be _horrible _parents. What if she didn't do it right? What if she messed up?

Her hands found their way to her stomach, a slight bulge protruding from her stomach.

She was three months along.

It was still way too early to tell the gender, and even earlier to make out a defined shape of the fetus. But she knew he (she liked to think it was a he) was growing all healthy inside, warm and protected from all the horrors of the world.

She'd make sure his life was a million times better than her father's.

_Knock._

Sakura snapped out of her calm state to murmur a feeble, "come in."

Carefully, Sasuke opened the door. "How are you?"

She smiled weakly, "Alright. The nausea's gone."

He gave a brief nod of recognition, keeping his eyes trained on her face. "I'm leaving to train with the dobe now."

Sakura's delicate fingers wrapped around the mug of her cup as she took a small sip. "Don't kill each other. You won't have me to heal you afterwards." A teasing, warm smile made its way to her lips.

He smirked. "The only one that will need healing is him."

With that he turned, closing the door behind him leaving Sakura to shake her head. _Men._

_Now, back to relaxing…_

* * *

There were certain days when they'd be sitting down, eating dinner, and Sasuke would blank out for minutes at a time. Completely lost in his own world, Sakura often wondered where his dark musings led him.

Perhaps the enormity of their future together.

When he was in this passive state, Sakura took the opportunity to admire how much he changed over the years. How his jaw was more angular, Adam's apple more visible, hair longer and coarser, almond eyes darker…

He'd matured into a devastatingly handsome man. And yet, he was more cynical than ever.

"Sasuke." Sakura breathed, leaning over him. They'd just finished one of his healing sessions (which were increasingly becoming shorter due to Sakura's need to conserve chakra) when he began to lull in and out of sleep.

"Hn." He grumbled drowsily. Sakura carefully ran her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp affectionately.

She preferred him best during times like these.

There was a scary thought in her mind though, one that she couldn't banish. When she was checking Sasuke's eyes, his cells were severely damaged. More so than during the last healing session. Sakura figured it was because his eyes had become adjusted to Sakura's chakra supply, and now without it, his eyes would continually digress. At an even faster rate than before.

It was scary to think that she wasn't actually helping heal him, but hindering him even more.

She swore silently that during the days off from the hospital, she'd invest all of her time researching a way to permanently reverse the damage done to Sasuke's eyes. For now, Sasuke didn't really need to know of the effects as long as he was seeing fine.

"I'm finished." She whispered, snapping out of her dark musings and poking his cheek lightly.

He opened his eyes –quite suddenly – taking Sakura completely off guard. She'd thought he was sleeping. She offered him a small smile, patting his cheek lightly before he sat up.

Sakura waited patiently for him to compose himself once again, writing notes of his progress _(digress)_ in her notepad.

"I don't want you wasting chakra on me for a while." Sasuke stated firmly.

Sakura calmly met his gaze, putting on a façade. Inside, her mind was running ramped. _Stop giving him chakra? No, I can't do that. He'll go blind! _

"I don't think that's best right now, Sasuke. You're eyes are used to these sessions, and to abruptly cut them off wouldn't be good for them," she reasoned evasively, "besides, I won't be doing much else with my chakra anyway. I'll be alright."

Sasuke sighed, shaking his head.

"Do what you want." He gave in.

Sasuke found himself doing that a lot these days.

Giving in.

Why?

Have you _seen _the way she could punch? Mix that with raging hormones from pregnancy and it is not a pretty picture.

Sakura smiled, realizing her victory. "You're getting smart." She complimented, a wicked grin spreading across her face.

She jumped up, clasping her hands behind her back. "So, what do you want to do today?"

* * *

Apparently, "what do you want to do today" means "you're going to do what I _want _you to do" in pregnant-speak.

Sasuke wound up being dragged along to a baby store, yes _baby store. _

Personally, he didn't think he'd give _any _valuable input throughout this whole process because really, what did he know about what color crib would match with the walls? His specialty was training, not decorating.

Still, he endured the four hours that they spent picking out necessities for the baby. He didn't think any of this was practical, because were ninja even supposed to have kids?

If Sasuke really thought about it, as soon as Itachi was born, Sasuke's dad retired from missions. He remained part of the Konoha Police Force as an administrator. A safe position.

And his mother had never been a ninja, so she didn't know the dangers that having a child as a ninja could bring.

It was an extreme point of weakness to have a child.

Would Sakura continue to even live as a ninja after she gave birth? Who would raise their child? He was sure as hell that as an Uchiha, his child would be raised properly.

Although, the name didn't mean much anymore to the outside world, it still meant a great deal to him. Sasuke grit his teeth, ashamed of what his noble clan had been reduced to. He _would _restore its name to its former glory, even if it killed him.

Sasuke looked at Sakura as she discussed furniture with a nearby sales representative.

She had always been someone Sasuke could rely on, and yes, he thought she'd make a good mother. But was she right about them doing this wrong?

It didn't feel right to him, but Sasuke didn't think he could do anything to change that.

He never desired anyone romantically, and didn't think he ever would. But he also didn't understand how that would affect the rest of his family. He wondered how his father had done it. He never showed emotions, yet his mother was always smiling with him.

He watched with dark eyes as Sakura smiled brightly, laughing with the other woman. She brought her hand to her stomach subconsciously, as if protecting the child growing inside of her. If Sasuke focused enough, he could sense the small chakra – separate from Sakura's – glowing inside of her stomach. It was scary how easy it had been to create this being, would he be able to actually raise it properly?

"You ready, Sasuke?"

Sasuke blinked, meeting Sakura's cheerful gave. He nodded once, shoving his hands in his pockets before following Sakura back home.

* * *

Sakura sat, textbook in lap, and pencil in hand.

After eating a light dinner – and discovering that her cravings did _not _agree with her two hours afterwards –, Sakura decided to do some preliminary research for Sasuke's condition.

She was studying the human eye, more specifically, eyes with a kekkei genkai. Of course, she knew dealing with Sasuke's eyes would be different than dealing with Naruto's, she wasn't prepared for the information she was receiving. Being that kekkei genkai use chakra, all of the chakra that Sakura was supplying to Sasuke's eyes was being stored into his sharingan. This was causing his eyes to weaken and his sharingan strengthening. Being that his sharingan was strengthening, every time Sasuke used it, it caused more damage.

Sakura needed to find a way to send the chakra directly to the damaged cells, without it absorbing into the sharingan. She had a few different theories about how to do this, but her mind drew a blank as she heard the front door open.

It was Sasuke, looking exhausted and sore.

He didn't need to tell her that he'd been training with Naruto, because she just _knew. _No one else would put him in this condition afterwards. Scanning his body for any severe wounds, Sakura sighed in relief when she found none.

"Who won?" she asked softly.

He smirked. "Who do you think?"

Sakura laughed, closing her textbook and marking it with her pencil. She stood and trotted over to him, placing her hands on his shoulder and giving them a light squeeze. "You're always so tense. You wouldn't be so sore afterwards if you ever stretched in between sparring." She chided, _tsk tsking _him.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but otherwise gave no reply. Man he must be tired.

"Come on, let's get you to bed. You need rest." She gave his shoulders a light push in the direction of their bedroom. Then, scrunching her nose, "well maybe you need a shower first. Then rest."

"I'd love to know how you smell after _you _spar." He countered, closing the bathroom door behind him and turning on the faucet.

Sakura giggled.

After ten minutes, Sasuke emerged from the shower clad in only boxers. He rubbed a towel on his hair, drying them off. In the beginning, this made Sakura blush, but now it was a regular occurrence. As long as she didn't look anywhere below his neck she'd be fine.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

He tossed the towel aside and sat on the bed, leaning back. Sakura looked down at him.

He was probably still sore.

"Want a massage?"

He looked at her blankly for a few seconds, before rolling over onto his stomach in silent affirmation. Sakura climbed atop his, straddling his waist, trying _desperately _not to think sexual thoughts.

She brought a small amount of chakra to her fingertips and placed her hands on Sasuke's back, slowly rubbing small circles to loosen up the muscles.

The two remained quiet, each in their own world as Sakura worked the knots out. She never minded giving massages, but with Sasuke, she immediately decided this would never happen again.

The temptation was just too great.

Not only until her hands began to cramp did she stop. Resting them against his unusually warm skin she leaned forward to see his face. "How about now?"

"..Aa."

Smiling softly, she squeezed his shoulder one last time before climbing off of him. Instead of getting under the covers next to him, however, she made a move for the door. This didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke.

"Where are you going?"

She turned. "I'm going to finish studying something. I'll be in bed later. Go to sleep."

Not another word was heard, so Sakura shut off the light, closing the door behind her. She immediately resumed her place in the textbook, determined to figure this out. She fell asleep on the couch with her textbook in her hand.

The next day, she woke up in bed.

* * *

Sakura doubled over the toilet, the nauseous feeling washing over her entire body.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Sasuke asked warily, and somewhat disgusted.

Wiping her mouth with the washcloth, Sakura moaned, "Go away."

Sasuke didn't listen. Noticing this, Sakura turned to him, giving him a deadly glare. "Sasuke, I said go away."

He shook his head. "You've been throwing up for hours, are you sure this is normal?"

"Yes I'm sure! Who's the doctor here, me or you?" she spat, feeling another wave of bile rising up in her throat like hot lava. "Oh kami."

After Sakura wiped her mouth and flushed the toilet, she was hauled to her feet, an arm pulling her up. "That's it, we're going to Tsunade."

His tone held a note of finality that Sakura couldn't refuse.

At the hospital, Tsunade scanned Sakura's stomach. She had a grim look on her face, one that Sakura didn't like seeing. That was the look she wore when the sentence, _I'm sorry, but we did all we could, _followed after.

"Sakura, why haven't you come to me sooner?" Tsunade chastised, frustrated.

Alarmed, Sakura's eyes widened, "Why, is there something wrong with my baby?"

Tsunade stood, toying with which way to tell her. She remained silent for a few moments and it was Sasuke who finally spoke up.

"What's wrong?" he shouted, unable to bear the silence. Sakura's hand gripped Sasuke's tightly, the other hand on her stomach.

Tsunade calmly met her pupil's gaze, "You might have a blighted ovum."

* * *

**reviews are your christmas gifts to me ! :D **


	14. t h i r t e e n

**disclaimer - don't own. **

**a/n- Got accepted to Drew University (: Not sure if I'll attend there, but it made my break. Now hopefully, this extra update will make yours :D **

**PS - What's with the manga now? Bringing everyone back to life and such. It's getting too hard to keep up with. WHERE'S SASUKE DAMNIT?**

* * *

Beyond This Illusion

* * *

**.:: Chapter Thirteen ::. **

* * *

_Blood._

_So much blood._

_Sakura's eyes scanned the area filled with dead bodies. Then she glanced to Naruto. _

_His eyes screamed determination. He wouldn't let anyone get away with this. Sakura desperately pumped chakra throughout her system, trying to unparalyze her body. Right now, they weren't focusing on her. She wasn't a threat. _

_She could get to Sasuke._

_He was only a couple hundred feet away, really. Unconscious and oh so vulnerable. She could still save him if she could just move her damned limbs._

_"RASENGAN!" _

_Her eyes snapped to Naruto. He was in Sage Form now, and she could tell his chakra was draining fast. He wouldn't be able to handle much more of this, but if perhaps Sasuke was healed, even just a bit, he could help. Where was Kakashi and Yamato? And Sai?_

_Was Zetsu still holding them up, with his multiple clones?_

_Or was Kabuto still alive?_

_Too many unanswered questions, and not enough time to dwell on them._

_Sakura felt her pinky finger twitch, and doubled her efforts. She had to make sure to recycle a small amount of chakra throughout her body, because she needed to save a lot for Sasuke's wounds. His eyes seemed to have taken the brunt of the attack, probably from overuse. After all, he just got Itachi's eyes. They were still sore. _

_Her eyes were trained on Naruto, who was helplessly dodging Madara's attacks. If Naruto even met his gaze for a second, he'd be done. _

Please Naruto, _Sakura begged, _just hang in there.

_A few moments, and a lot of chakra later, Sakura was confident she could move. Carefully testing out her limbs, she stretched out. Satisfied with her condition, Sakura planned her sprint. She had to do it either quickly, or very slowly. She knew that Naruto and Madara were completely engrossed, so she might as well just get it over with._

_Slowly crawling to her feet, Sakura sprinted to where Sasuke lay. Immediately she lay down behind him to hide herself from their potential view._

_Madara was locked at close range with Naruto, who kept his gaze on Madara's feet. Gathering chakra to my hands, she carefully placed her palm over Sasuke's eyes and concentrated._

_Her eyes searched for any other wounds. His ribs were broken, maybe three of them, and there was a deep gash in his right thigh. Sakura focused on his ribs first with her free hand, setting the bones back in place. She knew she didn't have much time, so she did a quick job sealing the skin, allowing it to scab over and scar a little, but not completely heal it. _

_Didn't have enough time or chakra for that. _

_Closing up the gash in his thigh relatively quickly, Sakura could feel his heart rate increasing. She had to make sure he didn't give the two of them away when he woke, so she covered his mouth with her palm. Just in case. _

_Hoping he was conscious, she placed her lips at the shell of his ear and whispered in urgent, hushed tones._

_"Sasuke, can you hear me? If you can, move your right hand."_

_His hand gave a slight jerk._

_"Good. It's Sakura. When you are able to move I you need to remain absolutely still. We're in the middle of battle. You passed out after an intense genjutsu that Madara placed on you. Right now, he's fighting with Naruto. He needs your help if he ever hopes to win against Madara's sharingan. You're not at your full capacity, but you should be able to defeat him, or at least hold him off until I can find others. Understand?"_

_Sakura watched as his hand clenched into a tight fist. She removed her palm from his mouth and his eyes shot open. He glanced from Sakura, to the battle. There was no time for any thnak-you's or I'm-sorry-for-trying-to-kill-you or any reunions. Because right now, Naruto needed Sasuke._

_She watched as Sasuke disappeared, and reappeared behind Madara. Naruto's eyes didn't give anything away, but she knew that Naruto saw Sasuke. Resolved that they could handle their own for now, she hopped up into a nearby tree in search for Kakashi and the others._

_She had to have faith in them._

_The entire fate of the ninja world was in their hands._

* * *

"A blighted ovum? But Tsunade, that's – "

"Impossible? Nearly, I know. It's very rare, but it's possible." She murmured, checking the charts.

Sakura grit her teeth, and all Sasuke could do was blurt out, "What's impossible? What's going on?"

Tsunade calmly turned to Sasuke, meeting his gaze evenly. "A blighted ovum is when the fertilized embryonic egg shifts and clamps itself onto the wall of a woman's uterus. Mostly, it occurs before a woman even knows she's pregnant. Still, it's not impossible for it to happen now."

Tsunade paced the room, in deep thought. "It doesn't make sense though. When we last checked, it was developing just fine. And even if it was a blighted ovum, that wouldn't explain the continual vomiting."

"I thought that was part of the package." Sakura commented.

Tsunade merely shook her head. "Morning sickness isn't supposed to come until your second trimester. It can occur now, but not at the extent that it has. And if it _were_ normal, it would have subsided by now. But you're still feeling nauseous, right?"

Sakura nodded quietly.

Tsunade gave a deep sigh. "Something's not right, but I don't know what."

"Aren't you supposed to know this stuff? Isn't this your job?" Sasuke barked out in frustration. He knew yelling at her wouldn't fix the problem, but he didn't understand how she just _couldn't _know.

She gave him a sharp glare. "My _job _is to be Hokage. And like I said, this is something I've never seen before."

Sasuke glared at the floor but otherwise didn't reply. He'd be damned if he was going to let the future Uchiha clan die before they even had a chance at living.

"There's nothing we can do for now, Sakura. We're just going to have to keep monitoring its progress. I'll do some research, but there's no guarantee of anything. I'm sorry."

Sakura nodded, and Tsunade left the room.

Her heart furiously pounded against her ribcage, and she could barely contain her shaky breaths.

Her eyes closed before she would allow the tears to cascade down her cheeks. She squeezed Sasuke's hand tightly, causing him to look up at her.

"I won't let our baby die, Sasuke. Okay? I won't." she shook her head, and he noticed that her body was trembling with silent sobs, but no tears escaped her.

All he could do was scoot his chair closer to her, and return her grip with equal strength.

* * *

_She ran as fast as she could, hair whipping across her face. Her wounds were leaking, blood soaking her clothes but there was no time to stop. The fate of the ninja world was at stake. IF only she could find Kakashi and the others – _

_"Sakura!"_

_Sakura halted._

_"Neji?" she called out, eyes scanning the area. She found him leaning against a nearby tree. He was badly injured. Quickly ,she jumped down to his side._

_"What happened, where are the others?"_

_Neji coughed up blood. Sakura propped him upright so that he wouldn't choke on his own blood. Tearing off a piece of her shirt, she wiped the blood from his mouth. As he spoke, she examined his body to find the wound. It was in his side. She didn't have much chakra left, but if she could only close the wound and let it scab over, he'd be alright._

_"They went after Kabuto. Kakashi, Yamato, Sai and Shikamaru. Right now Hinata and Ino are tending to Shino. He's hurt too."_

_Sakura bit her lip. The others could handle Kabuto, but she dearly hoped Sasuke and Naruto would be able to handle Madara. _

_"Why did everyone leave you here?"_

_Neji closed his eyes._

_"I asked them to. I was fighting with Zetsu. The others managed to defeat all of his white clones. There were three black ones left. I told the rest to go on while I fought him." _

_Sakura nodded, finishing tending to his wound. She scanned the area, not finding any evidence of Zetsu's clones. "Where did Zetsu go?"_

_"He melted." Neji muttered._

_Sakura nodded. "So only Kabuto and Madara are left."_

_Neji nodded in affirmation. Sakura sighed, wrapping Neji's arm around her shoulders and hoisting him to his feet._

_"What are you doing?" _

_Sakura jumped up into the trees and began running. "We're going to have to trust that the others can defeat Kabuto and Madara. None of us are fit for battle right now. Where is Hinata and Ino?"_

_"Back towards Konoha."_

_Sakura nodded._

_"Then that's where we'll go."_

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura were silent the entire day.

There were things they had to discuss, but neither dared break the silence. For once, Sakura didn't mind it one bit. It comforted her. She didn't want to talk about what may happen to their child.

But she wasn't about to give up, either.

As soon as they got home, Sakura immersed herself in every reproduction medical book she had, temporarily casting aside Sasuke's eye books. She closed herself off from Sasuke, not really thinking _he'd _be the one to bring it up, but she didn't want to take any chances.

It was well into the night when she heard a soft knock on the door.

"Come in." she called.

The door opened quietly as he stepped inside.

Sakura didn't turn around, but she heard something being placed next to her, followed by a stern, "You need to eat."

At that point, Sakura looked up at him, murmured a sincere 'thank you' and continued her work. Sasuke stared at her as she casually bit into the onigiri he'd prepared, flipping through pages rapidly. He knew that if anyone could save their child, it would be her.

Deciding not to disturb her further, he closed the door behind him and went off to train.

After all, he needed to burn off the extra frustration.

* * *

Sasuke came back a few hours later, thoroughly exhausted. He trained to the brink of fatigue, but it was well needed. He showered quickly, and then changed into boxers. Noticing Sakura wasn't in bed, he stalked off to her office about to yell at her for staying up so late, because it was obviously past 3 AM by now and –

Sasuke was met with the sight of Sakura sleeping, slumped over her books. A small lamp was the only light he could see. Sasuke approached her carefully, when his eye caught a certain book.

He picked it up, reading the cover.

_Optical Nerves: Repairing the Eye._

His eyes narrowed as he skimmed through the book, which was riddled with Sakura's handwriting. As he skimmed the book, a piece of paper fell out. He caught it before it landed on the floor, unfolding and reading it.

_Sasuke's Eye Progress:_

- _His eyes seem to be adjusting to my chakra supply, thus weakening his optical nerves._

- _The sessions have become less frequent, causing Sasuke's eyesight to diminish rapidly._

- _TO DO: Find a way to heal the damaged nerves without them storing excess chakra._

Sasuke placed the paper back in the book and set it down.

So his eyesight was worsening and she didn't even tell him? Sasuke grit his teeth. _Why the hell didn't she tell me?_

He stared at the sleeping girl, an array of emotions swirling around inside of him. He wanted to shake her awake and yell at her right then and there, but he knew he couldn't do that. Instead, he hooked her arms around his neck and lifted her from her seat, carefully carrying her to bed. His mouth was set in a firm line.

He'd find out what she's been hiding from him tomorrow.

* * *

Sakura woke up in a cold sweat.

Memories of the war haunted her dreams, and she clutched the blankets tightly, trying to will the images of blood away.

When had she fallen asleep? The last thing she knew she was reading and now…she was in bed.

It was still dark out, and a quiet inhale and exhale of breaths next to her told her that Sasuke was sleeping. She glanced at him, trying to calm down her erratically beating heart.

Sasuke never told her what happened after she left. Neither did Naruto.

All she knew was the after she had rounded everyone up and brought them back to Konoha, waiting for them felt like an eternity.

They didn't return home until nightfall.

The hospital was swamped with patients, but Sakura put everything on hold when they told her that Naruto _and _Sasuke were back. _Alive._

The initial rush of joy that spread through her veins had faded quickly as she realized the implications behind that thought.

Sasuke was back in Konoha.

She didn't quite know how to feel after she tirelessly slaved over her teammate's bodies. She spent hours exhausting herself, and for what?

The Great Ninja War was over.

But the battle had only begun.

* * *

**review my lovelies! :D **

**also, just finished reading the hunger games trilogy. MAN IT'S ADDICTING. Can't wait for the movie. Expect to see a hunger games fic out shortly ;D**


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